How Parents Around the World Describe Their Children, in Charts

Olga Khazan:

A fascinating new study reveals that Americans are more likely to call their children "intelligent," while European parents focus on happiness and balance. Here's why.

If you ask American moms, we are raising a nation of baby Einsteins. Here's what one parent had to say about the intelligence of her 3-year-old, which was apparent to her from the very first moments of her life:

"I have this vivid memory when she was born of them taking her to clean her off ... And she was looking all around ... She was alert from the very first second ... I took her out when she was six weeks old to a shopping mall to have her picture taken -- people would stop me and say, "What an alert baby." One guy stopped me and said, "Lady, you have an intelligent baby there." ... And it was just something about her. She was very engaging and very with the program, very observant. She's still fabulously observant.

The biggest difference between American parents and their counterparts in Europe might be that they are far more relaxed about enrichment than we are, according to a study released this week by Sara Harkness and Charles M. Super at the School of Family Studies at the University of Connecticut.

Posted by Jim Zellmer at April 15, 2013 1:46 AM
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