"Bruce, age five, went with his mother to his new kindergarten. When they arrived, Bruce looked up at the paintings on the wall and said, “Who made those ugly pictures?” His mother rushed to correct him: “It’s not nice to call pictures ugly when they are so pretty.” But his teacher knew exactly what he meant. “In here,” she said, “you don’t have to paint pretty pictures. You can paint mean pictures if you feel like it.” Bruce gave her a big smile. **She had answered his real question: What happens to a boy who doesn’t paint well?** Next, Bruce spotted a broken fire engine. He picked it up and asked in a self-righteous tone, “Who broke this fire engine?” Again his mother rushed in: “What difference does it make to you who broke it? You don’t know anyone here.” **But the teacher understood. “Toys are for playing,” she told him. “Sometimes they get broken. It happens.” Again, his question was answered: What happens to boys who break toys?"** ([Location 2976](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01M036N60&location=2976)) --- **Tags** -- [[quotes]], [[fixed-mindset]], [[growth-mindset]], [[progressing-slowly]], [[parenting]], [[coaching]] **Source** -- [[20250429082504 - B - Mindset]]