They are puzzled by the rapid and confusing changes in the personality, academic achievement, friendships, school attitudes, and appearance of their female children. Conforming and passive at school, middle school girls may relinquish their prowess on the athletic field and in the classroom for membership in the right clique of girls, acceptance by the boys, and quiet mediocrity. There are many reasons why these changes may occur. Gender stereotypes in the electronic and print media offer challenges to the healthy psychological development of gifted girls.
Girls get mixed messages from our culture and our schools.
On the one hand, we encourage them to achieve in programs that emphasize performance, mastery, test scores, and reaching specific academic and vocational goals. On the other hand, female psychological development tends to emphasize the value of relationships, nurturance, collaboration, and caring. When Sheila was 13 she was an outstanding violinist, a talented writer, and a sensitive and perceptive young woman. But she wasn't. She developed intense and problematic stomachaches.