WINNERS AND LOSERS

The older I get and the more of today’s world that see, the more I realize what great parents I had.  My parents taught my siblings and I that sometimes life isn’t fair, and more importantly, we learned that there are winners and losers in the life.  When I was in high school, I was on both the track and football teams, but our school had one of the best basketball teams in the state, and I really wanted to get on that team.  I knew that I wasn’t a very good basketball player, but I figured that since I was such a hot shot football player, and All American track star that surely the basketball coach would want me on his team right?  I was 16, and I’ve never forgotten the day that coach sat me down and told me that I really wasn’t a very good basketball player, he wouldn’t even put me on the practice squad for fear that one of his starters might get hurt.  Basically, the coach told me that I Sucked at basketball and should stick to the sports that I was good at.  When I told my dad what had happened, he told me that if I wanted to play basketball that I should practice more and maybe tryout again at some future point.   I never made the team, but I did learn that I wasn’t going to be great at everything, and that no one was going to make exceptions for me if I wasn’t good enough.   I can’t begin to tell you how many times over the years that lesson has pushed me to work harder so that I was on the winning side of life.

I told you my story to set up the following story: 

I’m driving down the highway last week, listening to ESPN when they start talking about a parent in Iowa who is suing her daughter’s high school because she failed to make the cheerleading squad for the third time.  Never mind that the young lady did not have full use of her legs and arms and could not perform even close to the level of the other girls on the team, her parents felt like she should be put on the team anyway.  When the coach refused, the parents headed straight for their lawyers office and filed suit.  What a great country!  Unfortunately, this young lady along with so many other youngsters are being taught that you don’t have to accept losing or being rejected, you can run to court and claim that you were discriminated against.

If you’re a parent reading this, please do us all a favor, and teach your children that there are Winners and Losers in the life.  Please explain to your children that those participation trophies they get in the local sports league even when they finish last, just isn’t the way the real world works.  Please let them know that despite the fact that some teachers might grade on a curve so that no one fails the class isn’t how the real world works.   People there are Winners and Losers in life, and the sooner that people recognize that, the better off they usually are.  I know lots of people who worked their way to the top, but I don’t know anyone who sued their way there and got any respect! 

If you teach your children that, “THE PERSON MOST RESPONSIBLE FOR DETERMINING IF YOU WIN OR LOSE IN LIFE IS STARING BACK AT YOU IN THE MIRROR EVERY MORNING OF YOUR LIFE”, you may be surprised how they turn out!  At best, they’ll realize that not everyone makes the teamJ