It's Not A Contest

Last one there is a rotten egg!

Remember that? As a kid you begin to become competitive. With everything. EVERYTHING! Who can throw a rock farther, who can run to the end of the street faster, kick the ball higher, touch that leaf at the tip of the branch. The funny thing is, as a boy growing up, I thought that if I could jump higher or run faster or draw better that the girls would like me more. Haha.

In raising my daughters, I instill a somewhat competitive spirit with my daily whatnots. Racing to the car, giving my daughter ten seconds to run to her room to grab a pencil and telling her that having a good day at school means she wins. I see nothing wrong with instilling a winning attitude. I think for the most part it is missing in the kids these days. We've become a world that doesn't keep score at T-Ball games and gives trophies/medals to ALL participants.

GARBAGE!

How is a child supposed to learn how to practice hard at something to get better? Why should they? They'll get a trophy regardless. No need to work for something that'll be given freely anyway. Also, keeping score let's a kid know if they're good at something. If they're not good at it they can make the decision to work harder to get better or find something else that they like to do. How is this wrong?

So the competition aspect of daily life has spilled over to... eating cereal. Or has it? The other morning, my older daughter and I sat down to have a bowl of cereal. We each had the same kind because we thought it would be cool to have the same cereal (insert smiley face). When I finished, and by finished I mean drank all the milk out of the bowl as well, I put down the bowl and raised my arms in victory. My older daughter looked at me and said

"Daddy, it's not a contest"