My daughter is 7 and considers herself smart. I have questions.

Ive always been very wary of the word 'gifted' and if I had the choice between raising a child with good values, and raising a child with a razor sharp IQ, I would always choose the former. I dont even now what gifted means, and I think labelling a kid with that risks doing them more harm than good.​So Ms 7 tends to think she's great at everything she does. Doesnt matter what it is; first attempt at a cartwheel and falling over - she's amazing; the best first cartwheel ever; First attempt at throwing a frizbee - amazing, best throw ever. She's been doing Tae Kwan Do for a few months and is still a white belt. Needless to say shes the best white belt in the class.​I guess what I would like to see her doing is being less obsessed with her own excellence at everything she does and to start to get a bit more perspective about what it means to be a beginner at something, and it being perfectly ok to be starting out, having a go, and just giving things your best shot. Not everything is a competition where she is the winner.​Today she was talking about reading something (she's admittedly capable at reading) and she talked about not wanting to boast about it but everyone says she's so smart.​I mean, its nice to think we're smart. I like to think Im smart sometimes. What I would like to see her doing here is not being so convinced of her own intellectual prowess on this matter, and to be able to get some perspective on it that she is still a beginner, and even though she has read a lot more probably than many other kids, there are still kids that are way ahead of her; the important thing being to do your best, and not get too hung up on comparing yourself to others.​Thanks for reading this long post. Needless to say we do have conversations with her about this, but I feel like we havent done too well at teaching her humility. Dont get me wrong - I really do want her feeling good about herself, but I would prefer her to think more realistically about the actual extent of her talents; particularly that just because shes ahead of other kids at some things doesnt mean shes better then them at everything. via /r/Parenting http://bit.ly/2Rpzgrw