My uncle's rant about "participation trophies" actually made me reconsider my stance

I was at a family barbecue last Sunday and my uncle went on this whole thing about how his generation never got awards for just showing up. I usually roll my eyes at that stuff because I think kids need encouragement, you know? But then he told me a story about his grandson who got a trophy for literally coming in last place at a little league game. The kid was 9 years old and he actually asked his dad why he got a trophy if he didn't win anything. That hit different. Like maybe we are doing kids a disservice by pretending everything is amazing when it's not. It got me thinking about how we handle failure versus success. Has anyone else had a conversation that flipped your opinion on something you thought you were sure about? Not like a huge life change, just a small shift in how you see things.

2 comments

2 Comments

robinp7218d ago

ha, yeah your nephew asking about the sky being green is way funnier tbh. speaking of weird kid logic, i once got a trophy for "most improved" at chess club when i was the only one who hadnt quit yet. like i literally just kept showing up because my mom made me, and they gave me a shiny thing for it. felt more like a participation award for not quitting than actual improvement lol. but honestly, i think the kid's question does hit on something real, even if its just one story.

the_james18d ago

Is this really that deep though? I mean yeah, a 9 year old asking why he got a trophy for losing is cute and all, but kids ask weird stuff all the time. My nephew once asked why the sky isn't green. That doesn't mean we need to rethink the whole universe. Participation trophies are just a little plastic thing, they don't ruin anybody. The real issue is way bigger than a trophy in a little league game. If a kid grows up thinking they're amazing at everything, that's on the parents, not the trophy. I just think people get way too worked up over what's basically a toy.