Children and Competition Conclusion Perspective 4 Case 2 Perspective 3 Perspective 2 Perspective 1 Case 1 Welcome Children and Competition Is competition good or bad for children?

Case 1 Peter got a miniature violin for his fifth birthday and began taking lessons. He loved playing and progressed rapidly. When he was six, his teacher decided that Peter should play in a competition. She chose a very difficult piece which Peter had to practice for half an hour twice a day. After several weeks, Peter had the music memorized, but sometimes had trouble playing one small portion of it. On the day of the contest, Peter was very nervous. He played well, but completely forgot the music when he reached the problem spot. He stopped playing, started over, and got stuck again in the same spot. The third time, he managed to play the piece to the end. However, he was very humiliated by having forgotten the music.

Case1: Perspective 1 Peter I love playing the violin! I’m good at it too! I felt special that my teacher chose a difficult piece for me. I don’t have any free time because I have to practice so much. My family and friends complain that they don’t see much of me anymore. I was soooo nervous. I almost peed my pants! It felt really good when I finished and everybody applauded.

Case 1: Perspective 2 Teacher Peter is such a good student! He is eager to progress and is willing to practice long hours to excel. I knew that Peter would rise to the challenge of a more difficult piece. I have a responsibility to help him grow. Peter’s parents want to see progress for the money they are paying me. Peter’s progress may spur my other students to progress more rapidly.

Case 1: Perspective 3 Parents We were so embarrassed when Peter messed up twice! What will our friends think? Their kids were perfect. I couldn’t believe that he started over twice! That really took nerve. I couldn’t have done that. He’s worked so hard. All he ever does is practice; his friends don’t come over any more. I wish we hadn’t bought that thing. Peter had a goal and he worked hard to accomplish it. He made us so proud!

Case 2 Five-year-old Jennie decided she wanted to play soccer, so she joined a park district team. The girls on Jennie’s team were undefeated and won the league tournament. All the team members were excited and boastful about their record. They often made negative comments about how bad the other teams were. Many of the other team’s players resented the members of Jennie’s team.

Case 2: Perspective 1 Jennie It feels great to be on a winning team! We are so Good! The other teams stank! We’ll kick butt again next year. Some of my friends at school won’t talk to me any more. They called us poor sports. Even my best friend dumped me. She’s soooo fickle!

Case 2: Perspective 2 Coach My girls really worked hard! They practiced all the time. They really showed that being a team player pays off. I’ve never had a team that was so dedicated. It did take a lot of my time though. My family complained that they never saw me. The parents were really pushy, too. We had to haul one parent off the field for assaulting the referee.

Case 2: Perspective 3 Parent I was really proud when my daughter’s team won the tournament! She was so happy! She was practicing all the time though. Her school work suffered and we never saw her. All of our family activities had to be planned around her schedule. I’m really glad that it is over. I’m not sure that I want her to play again next year.

Case 2: Perspective 4 Losing Teams Who do they think they are? They just happened to get all the talent on one team. I wouldn’t want to be on their team anyway! They are are the worst losers I’ve ever seen! They really aren’t that good anyway, it was just luck. The referee is blind!

Conclusion Parenting is not an easy job. They are responsible for the health and safety of their children. It is not always easy to balance the positive and negative effects of competition. Create a checklist for parents to use in evaluating the effects of competition in their child’s life. For more information: http://www.ncpamd.com/Competition.htm http://www.nncc.org/Child.Dev/child6_12.html http://www.nncc.org/Child.Dev/aggression.html http://www.nncc.org/Guidance/cope.stress.html