The case against gifted children

I believe that my son is smart. I believe this because he gets good marks for reading and math and he seems to know a lot more things than I did when I was his age. I love that he has so many interests and that he likes to learn new information, but I wouldn't try to label him as "gifted."

There are several reasons for that. I would argue that it is hard to have a truly "gifted" child these days, if there is even such a thing. Most of our talents come through a lot of practice and some good genes. So, while I believe we may have children who are athletically inclined and do well in sports, there are very few children who can do advanced math problems in their elementary school years. And both those skill sets still take practice.

And I actually like that idea - that gifted is rare. Because this gives us all the more reason to focus on the idea that practicing new skills is the way to really expand our brains. I want my son to know that the things in life that are worth it won't always come easily to him, but that should actually make them worth doing.

Which of your child's many talents are you trying to get them to practice more often? Tell me in the comments.