What do you say to 'show off my child' mothers?

[Matildathebrave]

My DD is nearly four and at school nursery. She is doing well in my opinion and enjoying nursery. She has just learnt to write her name and can count to 20, sometimes with mistakes. She is bright and knows her colours, shapes etc and recognises her letters and numbers, again often with mistakes.

My problem is, compared to a lot of the other children in the class, she is not one of the bright ones.

I don't discuss what she can and can't do, though some mum's do, usually the 'bright' children's mums.

What do you say to them if anything?

It happens daily, one child for example, can write a list of rhyming words without help, can tell the time and knows the value of coins and can give change. She is three. Her mum boasts about her all the time and I just smile and say that's good.

It is starting to wind me up though! Am I being silly or would this annoy you?

[Lamorna]

Don't let it get to you, when you have older DCs and get the 'long view' you see that it really doesn't matter and is no indication of future achievements. Smile, change the subject. If pressed merely say, in a disinterested way, 'they are all different' and change the subject.

[Simic]

It is so annoying and so many people do it. I cringe when my mum does it about our children (who are completely normal). It seems to be a disease of parents who have problems listening to themselves and then thinking about what they just said!
I've read a really good book (I can't now remember the title or the author) about how children who always can do everything at a young age think that intelligence is something that they were born with, have a certain amount of and it enables them just to do things. Children who couldn't just do it first time, had to work out ways of solving the problem and see intelligence more like a muscle which they "train" by attempting things which they can't do at first and then have to work at and work at (this is the muscle training) until they can do it/understand it/ solve the problem. This could be important because almost everyone at some time hits something which they can't do immediately - at latest in their professional life - and the kids who think they were either born with the ability or not because they never had to make any effort, just give up. Those who always couldn't do it to begin with, have practiced strategies of learning the skill and are not put off...
I hope this theory has some truth!

[OffToNarnia]

My ds in year 1 and one mum [who boasts about her ds on a regular basis] asked if my son liked fractions because her ds simply adored them!!! I just laughed and said he knew what half a pizza was and if he was getting his fair share. I then laughed again and she looked confused and then pissed off as I was clearly not taking her seriously enough. Just can't be bothered sometimes!