Lose For Winning

Never let your kid win at games.  I don't care if it's chess or EleFun, you play to win.  Letting your kid win only does one thing--it makes them think they're better than they are.  Kids need to know the value of sucking at something.  They need to know that everybody sucks at everything the first time they do anything.  Teach them that practice is the only way to get better.

  I highly recommend not actually calling your kid a loser. Although, it may be motivating.

You let them win and they'll never practice.  Some say it's best to let your kid win now and then, i.e., it's a confidence booster.  Maybe, but it's a false confidence and a false faith in their own ability.  They'll turn in to that one adult that thinks everything they do is golden.  They think they're unbeatable, and when they do actually get put in their place, they come up with excuses.  You know somebody like that.  We all do.  Do your kids a favor, beat them every time. Don't let them be that guy.

  Also, good advice.

Let them know it's okay to lose.   Teach them how to lose gracefully and how to use that loss to motivate themselves to become better.  There is nothing worse than a sore loser, except maybe a sore winner.  (Side Note: Sore winners don't apply to Fantasy Football.  Suck it losers.)

Our kids love winning.  Who doesn't?  The older two make everything a competition whether its finishing dinner, buckling the seat belt, or getting in the tub.  First to finish wins and lets everybody know that they've won.     The loser usually ends up making excuses by saying something along the lines of "Everything isn't a race", or "I wasn't racing anyway."  That's actually quite true, because nobody is aware of a race until one is the self-proclaimed victor.

While the constant races get to be annoying, it's also a blessing.  Neither one of them wins all the time and they both get to experience winning and losing.  I hate to see the look of disappointment on my child's face when one of them loses.  But I love to see the look of determination when they smile and say, "Let's play again!"

Don't forget to strip away those pesky Participation Trophies.