Nine-year-old Sadie* has just started skating lessons, and she comes off the ice beaming with pride. ?She brags that she?s the fastest one in her class,? says Toronto mom Chris Rubin*. Sadie also loves to talk to other kids about how good she is at everything from circus class and climbing to proofreading her mom?s work. ?I?ve hopped into conversations to change the subject,? Rubin says.
Rubin herself never received any recognition from her parents growing up, so she heaps on the praise as much as possible. But when she sees Sadie approach a group of kids bragging, she can?t help but cringe. ?I think I might have overdone it!?
If your child can?t wait to show off their soccer medal or newfound cartwheel skills, don?t worry. A certain amount of bragging is completely acceptable between the ages of seven and nine, says St. John?s?based child psychologist Janine Hubbard. Children are starting to compare themselves to others, Hubbard says. At the same time, kids are developing the cognitive ability to realize they can build on their skills and identify the things they?re good at and it?s a thrill for them. ?They just want to share it,? says Hubbard. When is it too much"
A bit of boasting isn?t necessarily annoying to other kids because their peers are often doing the same thing. ?If it?s an even back-and-forth, that?s fine. That?s a reciprocal conversation,? says Hubbard. But if you see bragging cross over into taunting and other kids start to pull away, that can be a warn...