Win and Lose Gracefully
‘I must win and if I don’t win, I will not accept it and I will make a big fuss about it!!’
…
One of the things that we emphasise to our kids is:
When you play or when you are in a game or in a competition:
– if you win, be humble, be thankful and appreciate the ones who lose. They don’t win this time round but it doesn’t mean they are a ‘loser’.
– if you lose, accept it with grace. You may feel sad, and it’s okay. Self-evaluate your game, spot areas that need to be improved, and be driven to practice more, and strive to do better the next time there’s an opportunity. Congratulate the winner, too.
…
Opportunities to train the heart (and let them recognise their own tendencies) are plenty.
Eg. When someone else gets a better exam result. When a teacher praises a classmate’s work and our child feels that her work is better. When they have a race and they don’t win.
…
Some get angry and throw their rackets to the ground when they lose a gameSome children (including mine) sulk when they ‘lose’.
(It could be as simple as ‘let’s do scissor paper stone to see who gets to sit next to mommy at the restaurant’. Yes, that’s between Levi and Brie 🙂 )
On court, some get angry and throw their rackets to the ground when they lose a game.
Some others deny the fact that they’ve lost, and start blaming everyone else (other than self!) for the result, eg. The umpire, the weather, the unfair judges, etc.
…
Some parents buy gifts for their children when they sulk from losing a game.
They may even say, ‘It’s okay! They don’t play as well as you, and I also don’t understand why they win. You’re always the best in our eyes! YOU should’ve won!’
…
Some others deny the fact that they’ve lost, and start blaming everyone elseIt may seem simple, but the ‘unhealthy’ mentality of ‘I must win and if I don’t win, I will not accept it and I will make a big fuss about it!!’ should really REALLY be shaped, rebuked, guided since young. By us, the parents.
Otherwise, … we’ll see more and more adults displaying such mentality, in their family, at work, in public, and even … in politics.
…
May our children be spared from such episodes when they’re grown-ups because WE do our part in guiding and teaching them about ‘playing well and fair’ since they’re really young.
Food for thought.
