"A whale is smart,
till they go out the water and
have trouble breathing"

I - The pros.

Gifted kids.

▪︎ They are good at "everything."
- It's pretty simple to do quite a few things; lots of things are easier for them to do.

▪︎ They have enough time to do more things.
- They can get into 5 courses and complete them.

▪︎ They can reach a professional level quite easily.
- It's a faster process to get into a good academy or sport's professional team.

▪︎ They have nothing to feel frustrated at.
- They're good at lots of things, therefore, they are always at peace with what they do.

II - The cons.

▪︎ They can't cry or get frustrated for anything, because they are "lucky"
- If they cry or feel tired, there's no reasonable reason because they have all the assets to have a calm life.

▪︎ They always have 'all the time in the world'
- They get their day filled with activities, because they always have an hour left to do more and more.

▪︎ They have trouble adapting.
- Problems are hard to face, because nobody taught them how to go through them.

▪︎ They have to reach a professional level.
- You did an art class ever since you were five? In five years, you have to be a professional because you're good at it.

▪︎ They can't make a hobby stay as a hobby.
- You liked singing? You wanted to go do a course to have some fun? You'll have to become a professional or else it's for nothing.

III - The portrait.

Gifted kids are lucky. They take much less time to learn certain things, they get to be the best in the class, opportunities come here and there.

They're good at everything.

People see gifted kids as if they've gotten the biggest blessing, as if they're Gods who can do anything.

- You're so lucky!

- I wish I would be like you!

- You can inspire others!

- You're the best student!

But, once they reach a certain point, all of those words, all of those encouragement words turn into nothing, but dust.

- Why can't you do it?

- You've changed so much...

- You're supposed to be a good role model...

- You used to care about your notes...

IV - The truth.

We know.
We know we've changed.
We know we procrastinate.
We know we aren't as good as before.
We know we are giving a bad example.

We know

We're just tired. We're tired of not being able to do an activity just for fun.

We're tired of always being involved in something big and important.

We're tired of being told we're good at everything, because now we know.

Now we know we aren't, and no one ever told us there would come hardships.

We're trying to get better, we're trying, but it's not easy!

We're burned-out. We can't do it anymore! We can't be the ones who show others how good we are.

Maybe we're just laying down on our bed, but have you ever thought about what's on our mind?

Well! It's all of those tasks that we're supposed to do better than the best. It's our lack of achievements.

I'm sorry! I'm sorry if I'm being selfish for not wanting people telling me I should go to this tournament or that I should go to that great university.

I'm sorry if we want some time when we can just have time for ourselves. And no; having time for ourselves doesn't mean having 20 minutes of no tasks.

It means doing things for ourselves. It means going to do a sport out of fun. It means going to a painting class just for fun

It means doing things without fearing that we'll need to go do a course to become a professional at it.

We do care, we do get worried, we do want to do it, but we just can't.

It's not that we're lazy, our minds and bodies are just tired of always having to be perfect, of always having to send our homework a week before it's due.

We want help, but it will get ignored, because we have "nothing" to be depressed about. We have "nothing" to make us cry.

We're happy... We should be happy and grateful.

I am. We all are... But we're tired of having to keep up with everyone's expectations.

V - A little note.

It goes for everyone when I say that your feelings and tears aren't unjustified. You can cry, you can feel frustrated. You can take a rest.

So please, don't overwork yourself to fit the image you've given before.

Talk it out if you can. Your family is there, and if you don't feel confident, talk to a friend, and if you don't feel confident, there is always someone willing to listen.

And rest. Rest when you need to rest.

Word count: 811.