Why do you tell your kids they are smart?

theHating: My parents told me I was smart, and I'm not sure what they meant by that.

vphaxg: Modern education, as paltry as it is tends to be, is usually better than it was 2 decades ago and the simple questioning and adaptive nature causes them to better acclimate to the times as well. As they tend to compress and nuance ideas and new patterns better with growing familiarity, essentially.

Sir Loin: I don't tell my kids they're smart but I do tell them I am proud of them and tell them why. I'll also tell the little buggers where they could improve
They're all tertiary qualified so there's something to be proud of.