We first had a piano teacher for DD, when 4, that pushed her with pieces and her technique was terrible. And when we switched and she had to spend 3 months changing her technique -- she was horrible to deal with during piano because she wanted to play those flashy pieces, fast.
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Though I can totally relate about her not playing the flashy pieces for a while. I caught myself thinking that I want her to play fast and complicated (to show her off?). Luckily I caught myself, but showing off your kid is an easy trap/addiction.
It sounds like you have successfully avoided one of the major minefields for music parents. Often that desire to show children off, or simply to see tangible progress, causes parents and teachers to push children to play flashier pieces than their technique can support. Your DD will be far better off having put in the time to correct her technique and work on music reading. And when you think about it, the idea of comparing musicians by the what piece they are playing is absurd. The question is--how well/beautifully/musically can they play it?
