Our society seldom provides appropriate academic role models on television or in teenage literature, so high academic achievers are not always valued by classmates. Gifted students can walk a tightrope balancing their academic, social, and emotional needs. There is no simple answer for this balancing act. Most gifted students develop ways of coping with pressures to conform. Others withdraw from social interaction and create their own safe environments.
Many students seek peers with similar abilities and interests and ignore outside reactions.
As varied as gifted children are, the solutions are equally diverse. Your daughter may have one very close friend, to the exclusion of all others, while you would prefer a broader group of peers for more varied interaction. Give your children space to find what peer relationships are best for them. Be available to help your child sort out what relationships are best for him or her, and the possible costs encountered from undesirable friendships. Sometimes it is easier for a child to accept advice from an impartial party.