Well...

We use terms like "GT" and "smart," since not using them always seems to me like it makes those words taboo, bad to be, forbidden. I don't like that any better.

We have talked a lot with the kids about the fact that how smart you are is like what color your eyes are or how long your legs are: it's just the equipment you came into the world with. It's nothing to brag about. It's not really all that worthy of note, frankly. It certainly doesn't make you a better (or worse) person. It's just a boring old fact. The kids don't brag about how smart they are since to do so would be nonsensical to them.

(Though I will note that kids in that 5-8yo age range do tend to rank themselves according to those around them, as in "I am the smartest person in my class, Jenny is second, and Joey is third." That's developmentally appropriate for that age, and they do it with EVERYTHING: how tall they are, how old they are, who has the most Pokemon cards, etc. That isn't necessarily the same as bragging. We still discourage it when they do it with intelligence, but it IS normal and it is NOT bragging in the normal sense of the word.)

We don't compliment people for being smart because "smart" or "GT" doesn't mean anything unless you do something with it, and *that* requires work. Effort is what we compliment. Kindness is encouraged. Complimenting someone for being smart doesn't even make any sense in our house. My mom's old saw (worth sharing again!) is "It's nice to be smart, but it's smart to be nice." I think that's so true, and I use it with my kids.

But I don't like the idea that intelligence should not be named. It's a fact. Not calling it what it is doesn't do anything but make a kid feel like something is wrong with him, since whether you call it GT or not, he knows he's different.

Kriston