A few weeks ago I was watching a morning news show (I can’t remember which one).  There was a story on about whether or not telling your child he or she is smart is the right thing to do.  The example the reporter gave is this one.  If your child does really well on a test in school, you shouldn’t tell them that they were smart to get such a good mark.  Instead you should compliment them on the fact that they worked so hard to do well on the test.  The thinking is this – by telling your child he or she is smart you might give them a bloated ego.  The child will think that since they are smart they don’t have to work hard to get good grades and they might become lazy in that specific subject or in school in general.  By telling them that they worked hard you are praising them for their hard work instead of some natural intelligence.  As a parent you are encouraging them to keep on working hard in school to continue on their success.  Even if you think your child is a brain or he or she has a genius IQ you should always praise the work and not the natural abilities.