I wasn't a gifted kid. I was autistic as fuck, and skipping me ahead two years was quite possibly the worst thing that could have been done for my development. Dad, you kept telling me I was super intelligent, and kept pushing me to try to get into MIT while we lived in Australia, and I struggled with basic social interaction every day of my existence. Mum, you were the educator who studied gifted and talented students and thought this should be applied to me. I get that it was different in the 90s, but Jesus Christ this focus on academia has basically set me up for failure as an adult. I even did actual university study while I was still in high school because I thought I was supposed to achieve. Starting university at age 16 was an insane undertaking, and it's no surprise I never completed a single degree during my time at university (I tried 3 different degrees before the age of 18).