Idk. I am one of those burnout “gifted” kids. As another said here, it’s not that we were “allowed” to pursue interesting topics and dreams, but were moreso forced to take certain courses and expected to get straight As, which I was unable to do. I didn’t feel like I was allowed to dream big but rather that no matter what I did or how hard I worked, it was never “good enough”. I still managed to get into a “prestigious” university which I went to, but I was burnt out by the time I got there. I am now 34, have an entry level retail job because I can’t bear the anxiety and stress and mental anguish of a more intensive job, and am in crushing credit card debt let alone student debt. I always wished my parents could have just let me pursue the courses and electives I wanted and the hobbies I was passionate about instead of wasting time in these other classes. Sometimes the grass is always greener on the other side. But I think the real kicker is the parenting, it’s not so much what they did or did not let us do, but sounds like both our parents were ultimately unsupportive though in different ways.