This post makes me really sad. I wonder if my parents thought this about me when I was growing up. My dad's pretty smart,and probably knew I was dumb when I couldn't beat him at chess/mental math when I was younger. My mom and sister were voracious readers but I never was.

Like your daughter, I'm average. I didn't go to an elite university. I make average pay and don't own a Mercedes. What's bad about that? Do you have pity on average people like me, who make up the vast majority of the population?