But in a general way bragging is quite normal behavior in groups of boys. It is simply the subject of his bragging that is the issue.
"...but as parents (and teachers/etc) we can help our children by showing them that the way to have successful relationships with other children (and later on adults) is to be genuinely interested in the *other* person - who they are, what they like to do, what they are proud of in themselves. Asking questions, caring about others, wins many more friends than making sure that everyone knows how smart we each are. It's not downplaying the wonderfulness of being a highly intelligent kid to not have to point it out to everyone - the other kids will notice without being told. It's just simply more successful in the long run to focus on showing our children that other children are also equally interesting and worthy of respect, for whatever reason, and the way to fit in and make friends is to be a friend, not to show off by bragging."
polarbear
