Does being a gifted kid make for a burned-out adulthood?

When I was growing up my high school had an honors program. No one was tested for entering, other than they had good grades in their classes so far. On the one hand it was great, because for the first time in my life I was surrounded by people with whom I could easily make friends! On the other it was the time when the pressure from my parents to succeed went way up. I felt like a marionette or a dancing monkey, so they could feel good about themselves. I did work hard to get into university, mainly because I saw it as a way to escape.

A year or two after I graduated one girl committed suicide because of the pressure her parents were putting her through. The results were the high school refused to call it a "gifted" program, and they decided that young people could only be in it if they asked, not if parents were pushing them. Ours was a particularly supportive program. I remember one girl asking to be in the program because that's where all her friends were, not because she had amazing grades. She joined us and it was great! We had another girl who did not become part of the program, because it was easier to get a perfect grade point average in the other classes. She became class valedictorian that way and received a scholarship.

And so many people I knew crashed after high school. Some people didn't want to go to university, because they were terrified of failing. Some people thought they would be a big deal at university, then crashed when they discovered they were average compared to other university goers. Some were so excited to be free of their parents that they experimented with drugs, unprotected sex, cult like groups, and more. Some had learned to be narcissists in their gifted programs, and just started doubling down on the narcissism.

I think "may you be designated as special or gifted as a child" should be considered a curse.

The Apache Stronghold traveled to Los Angeles on August 10 for the fourth stop of our journey of prayer to the Supreme Court to stop the shattering of the human existence and protect Mother Earth. Indigenous people from tribes across California and along the coast gathered with others from the local community at the Chief Ya’anna Learning Village & Tuatukar Eco-Cultural Center for Indigenous Regeneration. Other groups who came to speak include the Red Rum Riders Motorcycle Club, who pledged their unconditional support for the ongoing journey, offering to accompany the Apache Stronghold as we go on. People brought offerings of medicine plants and other vegetables they had grown, which are very meaningful and always deeply appreciated, because we are fighting to protect Mother Earth.

Dr. Wendsler Nosie Sr reminded those traveling on the prayer journey of the importance of eating from the Earth, because she is the Mother who nourishes us, and by taking in food she has produced, we maintain and strengthen our physical and spiritual connection to the Earth. The Costanoan Rumsen Carmel Tribe offered prayer through traditional dance and songs to close the gathering. After concluding the western part of our journey, the Apache Stronghold has now turned east, bringing with us the prayers and stories of those we have met along the way, so everyone will be given a voice when we lay our case at the Supreme Court. Please keep us in your prayers as we continue on our journey, as we fight the greatest evil and defend all creation, ahiíy’eh gōzoodolał (Thank you, and may blessings be with you)

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Written and Photos by Molly Peters
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