Dr. Hui S. Jiang explores how a focus on maximizing gifted children's potential can create harmful pressure and anxiety. When success becomes the measure of worth, children learn to equate their identity with achievement, leading to perfectionism and fear of failure. Dr. Jiang shares how parents can break this cycle by intentionally shifting focus away from outcomes, normalizing struggle, creating non-performance spaces, and verbally affirming unconditional love. This thoughtful examination reminds us that our children's worth isn't measured by accomplishments, and that genuine curiosity and joy in learning matter more than external validation.

When your gifted child receives a rejection email, the words you choose matter less than the emotional climate you create. This guide explores why parents must first examine their own reactions—the fear, guilt, and hidden agendas—before having that first conversation, and offers a framework for helping children learn that disappointment is survivable without defining their worth.