Participation trophies...Self Esteem...Acceptance...

I find it incredibly sad that this had to be written, I would have considered it to be "common sense"...
 
jaybee said:
I find it incredibly sad that this had to be written, I would have considered it to be "common sense"...
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That was my thought as well.

If you are confused with a participation or 'condolence' award, you need to go back to mommy and daddy and learn some life lessons.
 
Fearless Tower said:
That was my thought as well.

If you are confused with a participation or 'condolence' award, you need to go back to mommy and daddy and learn some life lessons.
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At age 7? We weren't all geniuses at age 7. Even if your mom and dad said you were. ;)
 
EdFred said:
No, but the confusion was expressed by young kids. I don't think adults are playing Little League.
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Perhaps, but the writing style gave me the sense that the real issue the writer had came later in life than at the time. Not too many 7 year olds are that self aware.
 
Fearless Tower said:
Perhaps, but the writing style gave me the sense that the real issue the writer had came later in life than at the time. Not too many 7 year olds are that self aware.
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I read it as the the ones that were originally confused figured it out as they got older and knew it was a crock. The confusion didn't exist in adulthood. The ones that weren't are the problem people of today.
 
EdFred said:
I read it as the the ones that were originally confused figured it out as they got older and knew it was a crock. The confusion didn't exist in adulthood. The ones that weren't are the problem people of today.
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Perhaps, but the real issue I have with it is trying to blame consolation prizes with modern societies problem children. I think it is someone making a poor stretch. Consolation and participation trophies have been handed out for a long time.
 
Fearless Tower said:
Perhaps, but the real issue I have with it is trying to blame consolation prizes with modern societies problem children. I think it is someone making a poor stretch. Consolation and participation trophies have been handed out for a long time.
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It's subset of the whole we can't say anything negative to any child at anytime because he might feel bad about himself mentality society is trying foist upon us.
 
As someone who has two young kids, including a 7 year old, I can tell you that kids are not stupid. They can see when others do better than they do, and are confused when adults, who should be at least that smart, insist on rewarding them for poor performance. It sends a horrible message to both those who do well, as well as those who don't do as well.


JKG
 
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JGoodish said:
As someone with two young kids, including a 7 year old, I can tell you that kids are not stupid. They can see when others do better than they do, and are confused when adults, who should be at least that smart, insist on rewarding them for poor performance. It sends a horrible message to both those who do well, as well and those who don't do as well.


JKG
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I keep waiting for the point where we get to participation diplomas for high school and everyone gets to be part of the National Honor Society.
 
EdFred said:
I keep waiting for the point where we get to participation diplomas for high school and everyone gets to be part of the National Honor Society.
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Didn't California already do that?
 
You guys need to read the whole article.

That's the introduction. The article is NOT about participation awards.
 
I guess I'll take down my "Honorable Mention" ribbons from the 1989 Railroad Festival Sack Race then.
 
JGoodish said:
As someone who has two young kids, including a 7 year old, I can tell you that kids are not stupid. They can see when others do better than they do, and are confused when adults, who should be at least that smart, insist on rewarding them for poor performance. It sends a horrible message to both those who do well, as well and those who don't do as well.


JKG
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Our dive team gives a small trophy to everyone who participates all season. Then we have "competitive" awards for high-scores within each division, these are several steps up. Seems to work well. Everyone gets a token for stepping across the line to participate (and springboard diving can be pretty scary for kids with the requirements for multiple different dives that get more complex as they get older), and people who stand out get recognized for that too.

I think a root of the problem is that psychologists learned that positive feedback is generally more effective than negative feedback, and then some well-meaning idiots translated that into "Negative feedback is bad". And that's pure BS. There are lots of instances where negative feedback imparts a valuable and durable lesson. And I think they're all instances where safety is involved.
 
What's the point of a "participation" trophy? These are ELECTIVE activities. The activity itself is the reward for participation. If a kid wants recognized, he needs to perform, or perhaps discover that his talent lies in a different activity.


JKG
 
JGoodish said:
What's the point of a "participation" trophy? These are ELECTIVE activities. The activity itself is the reward for participation. If a kid wants recognized, he needs to perform, or perhaps discover that his talent lies in a different activity.


JKG
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Membership and identity is important for kids.

Heck, even the military gives service medals. Isn't that the same thing?
 
MAKG1 said:
Membership and identity is important for kids.



Heck, even the military gives service medals. Isn't that the same thing?
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Exactly. Unless we are talking about giving the same size trophy to both winners and losers regardless of outcome, then this isn't really an issue.

At 7 years old playing soccer, I knew that the crap they gave everybody was a simple acknowledgement of participation and was not the same recognition that the real winners got.

Not everything in life needs to be a Top Gun show down with no points for second place.
 
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