A teenager's constant refrain is, "You don't understand me!" But while they long for parents who ‘get’ them, they develop covert, anti-parent personalities. Often, gifted teens pull the "Little Man Tate," blowing huge opportunities (or sabotaging scholarship offers or throwing AP tests) in a misplaced attempt to assert their independence and control their lives.
A parent's best course?
Resist labels; free them from OUR expectations. Give them space to breathe; listen closely when they define themselves. Trust their messy, personal journeys to themselves.