All the other milestones found her trailing. She'd reach them eventually, months behind her contemporaries.
It's not helpful to compare, I'd tell myself. Celebrate her for herself. But when you're a new parent, it's impossible not to measure your child against others.
I searched for reasons. She had a long and traumatic birth – had it left her with slight brain damage? Did all that crying in the first year frazzle her synapses?
I grew weary of competitive mums with their "stealth boasting". "I'm so cross with Saffron," one said. "She's taught herself all her letters – she'll be so bored at school." I'd get a sick feeling when even the sweetest of friends would mention her child's progress, as I hated having to reply that, "No, Bella isn't doing that yet".
I felt protective of Bella – she didn't know she wasn't measuring up – but also disappointed. I desperately wanted her to be as good as, if not better than, her friends.
http://www.independent.ie/lifestyle/mothers-babies/why-isnt-my-child-as-clever-as-me-29233621.html