Children should never constantly be called ‘smart’

Every student should be acknowledged for their achievements, and what not. If they did particularly well on a test, a parent should feel honored to say: “Wow my kid is so smart”. However, I beg, please do not over do it. Parents need to stop constantly telling their kids that they are smart. Although it may seem like a positive form of encouragement, it can actually have negative consequences. If you tell a child, from the time they go to school, that they are constantly smart, it will be ingrained into their brains that they have to withhold that title of being “smart”. For example, if a child happens to get straight A’s and a parent acknowledges this constantly, and shows them off, and tells them they expect this level of work from them, then that child’s stress level is going to go through the roof. They may now feel as if they cannot get a B because they are letting you down, or worse, they may see themselves as a failure. Let children know it is okay whatever grade they get, as long as they work hard for that grade. No child should ever feel pressured to be the best in their class. If it so happens, then that position should be acknowledged, but one should never feel forced to be that. Constantly calling a child smart constantly puts too much pressure on them. It will follow them throughout elementary school, middle school, high school, and even college. College is already a stressful enough place with the amount of school work and being many miles away from home. The idea that they have to be “smart”, or get the very best grades, will ultimately cause them to break down in college when they realize that they are human. Humans are not perfect, so neither will their grades. Let children know that A’s do not always correlate with being “smart”. One can receives B’s and C’s, maybe even lower, and still succeed.