I was hoping for a good discussion, and i have not been disappointed!
Ok. For the record, I call my vehicle a Pilot. Not because I want to brag or point out what I drive but because I live in a house with two college kids and a husband who all have vehicles and it just seems bit clunky to say, "Your dented used to be white foreign made sedan is blocking my somewhat newer blue rather large vehicle that can seat eight" rather than, "Your Camry is blocking my Pilot". No bragging - just what it is.
If someone else overhears me and chooses to feel envy over the fact that I drive a Pilot, that is their choice based on their value system and whether they've had victory over their own nature to not be satisfied with their own vehicle or lack of one. I cannot control their emotions or assumptions, but I can be delicate - which is different than pretending I drive a junker so they don't feel bad. Saying something like, " the parking lot at the school in my neighborhood is full of muscle cars, Hummers, Beemers and Porches" would be boasting about financial status.
I think the same is true for us as parents of kids who often have the equivalent of the Ferrari of IQ's. If we are boasting, it is not only indelicate but cruel. But to pretend our kids are like the old VW minivan of IQ's is dishonest and can make our kids think we're ashamed of who they really are.
So this example is chock full of holes, I am sure. But This entire conversation has helped me understand that to some degree I've been guilty of hiding who my kid is - to the detriment of their own perception of their own value,
