Probably a bit of both. It was only after observing my cousin's son for a bit and hearing about what he liked that people began to remind me how tenacious I was

Probably a bit of both. It was only after observing my cousin's son for a bit and hearing about what he liked that people began to remind me how tenacious I was, and really many others in the family. I'm pretty convinced that if I had only been introduced to calculus before becoming a teenager I wouldn't have given up on mathematics so easily. Kids are capable of a lot more than we're willing to admit– I say it's part insecurity, part genuine fear of being 'wrong', expecting too much, etc. thereby helping your kid fail.