Riding the Line

As I think I told you before, Kira got a first place ribbon at her school's science fair, so she was able to move on to the regional science fair.  Her teacher told her that she could improve her project and board if she wanted, as long as she didn't change the premise of her project.  The school judges even gave her ideas of what to improve.  Did she improve it?  Of course not!  I kept asking her if she wanted to work on it and she said, "No.  I just want to see how this board does," like it was an experiment unto itself. 

She went to the regional fair on Saturday and after a long day of showing her project, talking to judges and waiting and waiting and waiting, she was awarded a second place ribbon.  She was thrilled with this because she had it all figured out:  She wanted to place because that's cool.  She didn't want to get third because that's not good enough, but she didn't want to get first because the first place winners go to the state meet and she didn't want to spend another day doing science fair stuff.  She wanted to get second place so she could be patted on the back, and still be done with it. And she got second.  Exactly what she wanted. 

This both impresses me and annoys me.  How can she get EXACTLY what she wants with little or no effort?  She does something very similar on standardized testing at school.  She makes sure to get a few wrong on purpose because she says she doesn't want to risk being put in any kind of gifted program where they do more homework.  WHO THINKS THAT?  UGHH!  And why does it work out for her?  How does she know where the line is?  Like I said, impressive but annoying.