Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Brad's Dilema
Brad was playing Snakes and Ladders with his 4 and a half year old son Mac. Mac won the first game and daddy was winning the second when Mac got frustrated. Should parents let their kids win? Or, is losing a good life lesson.
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2 comments:
Good Morning Brad,
I think you should not just 'let' your child win a game. If you are playing a game of chance, such as snakes and ladders, how would you let them win? If you are playing a game of skill, then most definately encourage them and let your 'game' slide. If they get so upset, like your son did because of his age, then I would stop playing that game and try another. You are correct in explaining that we don't win them all. In my household, my children have heard the phrase "life is not fair" quite a bit. My second son is almost 5 and I was having the same problem a few months back. I encouraged him to say "good game" to the winner if he didn't win and explained that you have to be a good winner and a good loser. He likes to win at candy land and will often say "I'm gonna win" if he is in the lead. I tell him the game isn't over until someone wins.
~Jamie Coolen
Out of my 3 kids, 2 of them don't do well with losing. Having said that, I never "let" them win. They have to understand that playing a game is about having fun and enjoying spending time with the people you are playing with. Nobody likes to lose, but winning isn't everything.
When my kids pitch a fit or get upset, I stop playing and tell them that are not making it fun for anyone. They figured out pretty quickly that if they choose to have a bad attitude that the game will not happen at all.
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