So, that said: I have two goals when I teach my kids: 1. teach them that if they keep trying, they can understand something that looks "too hard" initially, and 2. don't make them hate learning by pushing #1 too much. Easy to write, hard to implement
Children develop self esteem by facing a challenge that looks difficult, maybe not even sure if they can accomplish it. Then accomplishing it. Isn't that the best? Who can argure that it's not just an awesome way to develop great self-esteem. Most kids get that during the course of the school day at some point. I will argue, not so in most cases for HG(+) kids.
Oh, do I ever agree. My kids do very well when they conquer something that seemed TOO HARD!
I agree with you: I feel it's the job of the parent to know when something really is too hard and when something is being avoided due to some type of fear or uncertainty.
In addition to addressing perfectionism and self-esteem, I find that this approach can help kids learn to persevere. By remembering "I thought I couldn't do [x] before, and I tried and I did it. Maybe I can do this too, even though it's hard."
Val
