The author was pondering the parent perspective of acceleration, and she realized that people are always hearing "ifs" and "buts" when discussing this topic. There are many "if" and "but" questions. In this article, the author focuses on the following four: (1) "If" my child is complaining of being bored in class, does that mean he or she needs to be accelerated?; (2) I know my child needs to be accelerated, "but" what will happen later on when my child wants to play sports and isn't physically as strong as the other children?; (3) "If" my child is accelerated, are there any social and emotional situations of which I should be aware?; and (4) What should I do "if" my child seems to be significantly ahead of his or her peers?