Smart is a bad word?

So forgive me if this has already been discussed, but I saw this chart on Pinterest that gave alternatives to telling a child “you’re so smart”, & I thought “b b b but why?”. I found a TED talk on the subject by Carol Dwect & she feels the words adults use to describe kids’ progress affects the child’s belief in their own potential. So I compared me & my sister...she had a very high IQ from a young age, skipped a grade, graduated early & was known as “the smart one”. And then I came along all fairies & sparkles & giggles & everyone told me I was so creative & musically gifted, but never smart. My sister graduated with honors with a masters in business finance. I dropped in & out of college until finding nursing & realizing how intelligent I actually am on my own.

So my questions are how do you feel about this idea & looking back on your childhood, were you or weren’t you told you were smart & did it affect your journey into adulthood? Also, what do you say or plan to say to your children about their progress & intelligence?

Here’s the TED talk link & the list!

https://www.npr.org/2016/06/24/483126798/should-we-stop-telling-kids-theyre-smart