I am so happy for you and proud of him!!!! Yes, he is goofing around and getting in the way of his own success, but it actually is one of the problems that is VERY common among the truly gifted. Those who are most commonly thought of as gifted and identified as gifted in school are usually those who are hard workers who do what they are told/asked to do. Teachers and administrators identify them as gifted NOT because they have brains working on a higher level but because they get good grades. Those with real gifts often don't get the top grades or get them but don't put out a ton of effort unless it is something they are interested in AND the teacher doesn't put restrictions/rules that get in the way, because their brains are busy doing other things.
SO WAY TO GO difficult child'S MOM AND difficult child!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!
I can TOTALLY understand why he doesn't want his picture in the paper. Most likely he has spent years with other students teasing and bullying him for being so smart, wrecking the curve, etc....... and he just wants to do his own thing his own way. His own thing just happens to be a few levels above what the other students (and at least some of his teachers and administrators) can understand. Even if he NEVER mentioned having problems with bullies or teasing, it happened. It is almost guaranteed to happen in an educational system where kids are grouped first by age and very secondly by ability. (been there done that)
As for that jerk who told you to put him in a mental hospital, do you know where he works now? It would be SOOOOOOOO tempting to send a box full of copies of the article. Don't use crumpled paper or packing peanuts to fill the box. Get glitter online in bulk and fill the box with it. Put the name of whatever institution he said difficult child should be sent to as the return address.
Probably just imagining him opening the box would be enough for me. But I might wait until after difficult child had graduated and actually sent the box. difficult child can't get into trouble for it if he has graduated, Know what I mean??
As for the Eagle Scout, did you contact the national office about the difficult child leader's actions when he expelled difficult child? I can't think of many situations when the National level would tolerate that. I hope difficult child completes it, it is a very impressive achievement. Maybe you could help him see finishing it as a way to anger/upset/flip off the difficult child leader? IF that type of thing would motivate him. I know my difficult child will work far harder to do something if it will p*** off someone who told him he couldn't do it or who threw him out of a group with-o just cause. You would know if that would motivate difficult child.
If there is something he has been wanting to do, maybe it would be a good reward to do it with him or arrange for a friend or two (this sweet young lady?) to do it with him - funded by you of course? Maybe a bucket list type thing? Or if he likes certain music groups, maybe tickets to a concert or something like that? If you think about what he truly loves to do, things he really enjoys, you will come up with some way to reward his hard work.
((((((((((hugs)))))))))) to you (and difficult child if he would accept them), and I am SO PROUD of him and of you for raising him and encouraging him through thick and thin so that he was able to achieve this!