[Aliantha]

I think most of us would be lying if we didn't admit to liking the feeling of being a winner, but there are ways of winning that are good, and some that are bad. If striving to do your best causes you to win, then that's great, but if you're competing simply to win at all costs, then that's not so great.

I try to teach my kids to have some humility and to be greatful for the gifts they've been blessed with that allow them to excell in some areas, and to be supportive of others who are better than them at other things.

Competition is good for kids, not just for the feelings they get when they win at something, but also it teaches them how to deal with not being the best, which is a very important thing to learn because you're going to lose a lot more times than you win in life. That's how we learn and why we try harder (or hopefully we try harder rather than give up which is part of the lesson of losing).

This is just a few thoughts, but there's a lot more to how I feel about my kids winning and losing things. It's a really complex issue because kids do need to feel successful and know that there are some things they're good at and that they have a right to be happy about that, but they also need to learn to accept that there are others who are really good at different things or even the same things, and you can't always be the best, but it's good to try your best and learn to be happy knowing you've done your best.