I want to tell my children that they are smart all the time. Especially in the first few years of a child’s life, her rapid acquisition of skills and language feels nothing short of miraculous, even though it could not be more mundane. One day, she’s a sentient adorable lump, and an eyeblink later she’s speaking in full sentences. I have a particularly clear memory of watching one of my daughters figure out how to make a Magna-Tile house that would stand up on its own, and thinking: Look at this tiny architectural genius. https://messaging-custom-newsletters.nytimes.com/template/oakv2?uri=nyt://newsletter/95f05124-3910-4164-b70c-cfaf0140a841&te=1&nl=nyt-parenting&emc=edit_ptg_20200108?campaign_id=118&instance_id=15023&segment_id=20139&user_id=39be855d88b16ee34ba16600b6101964&regi_id=67756785ptg_20200108