I realize the OP was simply a question about a birthday gift, but it reminded me of the many conversations friends and family have had about this topic over the years.
It’s interesting that raising “Super Kids” was a hot topic even when my parents were raising us, and when we were raising our kids–even though the concept was previously referred to as raising “Exceptional Children.”
Attempting to micromanage your children’s destiny is more in vogue now than ever, but I can tell you from what we’ve seen with our kids as well as their friends who are successful, the real winners, regardless of IQ and other cultivated abilities, have turned out to be those who have best learned to cope with the realities of life outside of the nest.
Having read that only around 10% of kids today are actually achieving their desired goals after college, makes it clear that the variables that contribute to creating a successful child may be quite different from common perceptions.
