I guess I don't really blame people who feel threatened by smart kids. My feeling is that most parents feel a little insecure. Parenting is hard and we often make decisions that we aren't quite sure are right. Then we either second-guess ourselves or become entrenched in our beliefs to protect ourselves from doubt. Basically, it's hard to parent any kid without worrying that we have goofed up.

So along comes a kid who is doing way better than yours. You start to worry even more: maybe if I had done something different my kid could have been that smart. It's frightening. People who are worried and frightened often respond badly. If you had been worrying that you hadn't been teaching your child right and that's why they are late learning to read (and the marketers are always looking to make you feel that way!), then a kid who is reading above level is going to hit a nerve.