Should Children Compete?

 Should Children Compete?

           In many ways sports resemble real life. There are real emotions, you put in real effort and, in sports as well as in life, you don’t always win. Not only do I think it is ok for children to compete in sports, but I encourage it. Being competitive is just part of human nature and though not everyone feels the same level of competitiveness, I think it is a good idea for the children to know how a competitive environment can affect them. I feel that it is important for kids to experience emotions like anger, disappointment, feeling like a looser, as well as joy, pride, and getting to feel like a winner. Those are emotions that they will feel in the future weather they play sports or not, might as well get familiar with them. Being aware of how those types of emotions affect them can really help them learn how to manage their emotions. There is no better environment for children to both experience their competitive side and also learn what actions are appropriate and which ones are not. If a child is having a hard time managing their competitive spirit, I would much rather they learn on a field or court where, once the game is finished, there is no real harm done and their parents can help them properly cope with how they feel.  

          The problem with keeping competitive children away from sports is that their competitive nature will just manifest in other areas of their life where it is much less appropriate. Another problem is that eventually, they will be exposed to a real competition and when they are, they will have no experience with their emotions or how to control them.

Another thing that I have a problem with is the extremely negative connotation that goes along with the word competitive. I don’t think that wanting to win or wanting to be the best is a bad thing at all. In the real world people have to compete to get what they want, it’s just part of life. If a child is told that competition is a bad thing, what will happen when they are forced to compete in the real world?

          One of the hardest things for kids to deal with when competing is losing. Losing can be very hard on a young kid, but I see it as great learning opportunity. There are two major lessons that can be taken away from losing and if a kid can learn these lessons, then there is no doubt in my mind that they have the tools to succeed. The first lesson is to hold your head up high, and be proud that you did your best.  The second is to get back out there and keep on trying.

I don’t believe that there is a specific age when, all of the sudden, children are mature enough and ready to compete. I think that it is all a learning experience and that a kid will express interest when they want to try a new sport. Not to mention that, for the most part, when a child first starts a sport, they won’t even be competing because they first have to learn the basics. 

          When it comes to children who are simply not very competitive, I don’t think there is much you can do about that. I do believe that competitive people and not so competitive people can work successfully together on a team. I personally have been on many sports teams where this is the case. Just to clarify something, just because they are not super competitive does not mean that they are not a talented athlete and that they do not benefit the team. It simply means that their overall goal isn’t necessarily to have the highest score.  However, if for some reason, it just isn’t working out, the good news is that there are many types of sports out there and at many different levels. They shouldn’t have much of a problem finding a sport that matches their level of intensity.  

          In my opinion, trying to shelter kids from the reality of winners and losers, from working hard and getting nothing in return, just isn’t right. Keeping them from participating in sports doesn’t change the reality that sometimes you do everything you can, and it’s still not good enough. Participation in sports gives them an opportunity to go out there give it all they’ve got and leave knowing they did their best. But at the end of the day, if they are playing sports, it should simply be because it makes them happy and it’s what they want to do.