This topic has been difficult for me. With my first child, I was really quiet and did not say much at all! I think my silence was partly due to not understanding what was going on. I did not know anything about "gifted"... I was also silent at school until 4th grade when things fell apart. I think my silence was detrimental to my first child, both in school and her views of herself. With my second I do not want to do that! So I try and "brag" so that my child can hear me tell of good things she has done. But ultimately I see it as practice for how to talk about this stuff for when she starts school and I need to advocate. I am not the most social person and do not always know how to state things gracefully. So I think at times my bragging falls wrong. At times I have to really work up the courage to say anything at all. So of course by that time I have missed the socially correct time to say it and it really falls awkward. I guess I am also not willing to hang out with people who will not allow me the room to brag. So in some ways its a great way to find out who I want to hang out with at this point in time. I really appreciate my friends who I do not feel like I am bragging at all with and that sense of competition is not there. I am not sure how that happens at this point except I think often they have kids who are also gifted and know it. Don't know though.... funny in a few years it won't matter anyways as it seems that its okay to brag about what your kid is doing in college:-)