Thanks for the advice. The teachers don't tolerate bragging, etc. He acts like a humble little gentleman at school and is well liked. I just know how he works because when he gets in the car after school I hear "I had fifteen assignments for today but I did thirty! Most people did not even get their fifteen done." I asked his teacher about him being so competitive and she said she didn't really see it. So when I said he shows off it is not really to others. He'll set up parameters to make anything a competition even if he's the only one really keeping score.
Unfortunately I think he just doesn't see kids in the K-2 class as being competition. He's comparing himself to his brother's 3-8 class. Those students sometimes help out in the lower class and DS5 overhearing one of DS8's friends saying things like "I was in the K-2 and your little brother is a math machine!" is high praise and motivates him even more.
Today he answered "How was tennis camp?" with "I am in the top four best but the youngest in that group".
DS8 would've said "Oh it was fine. There were some huge ant colonies near the court that I observed most of the afternoon. I just told the tennis people I was not really into sports so they could just focus on the other kids. I stayed nearby so they could still keep an eye on me and get paid for doing that."
I realize it might seem like a dumb concern but like Indigo mentions, I can tell his drive is coming from a different place than his brother's.
Interestingly DH and I both have siblings like this. It makes me wonder if it is a nature or nurture thing.
Last edited by KJP; 07/25/16 10:46 PM.
