Learning About Losing

I hate to lose. Actually, I despise it. I come by it naturally since I was born into a family of fierce competitors. My brother and I started out early, playing highly charged games of Chutes and Ladders. Our rivalry continues to this day when we get together to play card games during family vacations. My father used to play games with us often and never saved us from the despair of losing. He allowed us to be losers. Sounds funny, I know, but it saved me from falling into a heap on the floor as a young adult when I lost a game, a competition, or when things didn't quite go my way. The tears and crying that come with losing can be heartbreaking, but loving parents can help their children develop life skills by allowing them to experience disappointments in the safe arms of Mom and Dad. Shielding children from all of life's hardships sends the message that they are not strong enough to cope with life's bumps and bruises. If you can love your children through their sadness, it will allow them to be "winners" every time they lose.