Since we moved out of Utah (where I was surrounded by my gifted family and gifted peers), I have grown to understand that I'm weird. I never saw myself as weird before, but I know I'm weird here.
Fortunately for me, two things happened along with that realization: 1) we discovered that we moved to maybe the only state where, culturally, people are not just tolerated but actually valued for being different and 2) I was told by many women that knowing me, and me being comfortable with being weird (they didn't know I didn't realize I was weird) gave them "permission" to be themselves, and they've been much happier since. So I embraced the "weirdness" even though I don't really understand what about me is so different from other women. And I still don't know how to answer people when they say, "You're children are really different from kids their age." And I hear that a LOT. (I think I usually reply, "Now you understand why we home school!"
So today I came across this article, http://hoagiesgifted.org/optimum_intelligence.htm , and was delighted to find that, at least in some circles, I am perfectly normal (not at all weird). And this woman's experience sounds like my mom's life. And my dad's. And my husband's.....Really, I guess I'm not so weird after all!
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