Bragging

Warning, I'm going to brag about my child.  Wait, what I mean to say is that I'm going to brag about my sweet, talented, hard-working, determined, and seriously good-looking little boy, Owen.

Yesterday was track and field day at Owen's school.  He competed against all the other 1st grade boys in events like the 50 yard dash, the mini marathon, hi-jump, and also buddy boards (?), baby crawl, and tote sack race.  Last year Owen won each of the races, which I thought might be due in part to the fact that he wasn't on the list for some reason, and ended up racing against just one other boy in each event; a boy who wasn't particularly talented in the running area.  But this year, Owen really showed his talent and took first place in the races.

When Owen first ran the 50 yard dash, he fell about halfway - really bit it - but got up and kept running and ended up coming in second place.  You can see his third race below.  (Owen is wearing a blue shirt.)

Owen also competed in the mini-marathon.  He was nervous because he had to race against a boy who is known for being the fastest. I gave Owen some strategy tips and told him I thought he could do it.  And he did it!  The other boy got tired and stopped halfway, but Owen was able to keep running the whole mini-marathon and won!

Okay, all this shameless sports-mom bragging brings me to another thought.  How do you/will you deal with your kids and sports?  Do you encourage them to try hard to win ("you can do it!") or do you teach them that it's just about having fun ("it doesn't matter if you win or lose").  As I was talking strategy with Owen before one of his races, one of the little boys in his class turned to me and said, "It's not about winning, it's just about having fun."  I smiled and said something like "That's true."

Steve and I actually talked about this, about whether to encourage Owen to try to win or to just tell him to have fun.  Ultimately we decided that we wanted Owen to try to win.  We think it's good to try to excel at things, to discover the areas where you are particularly gifted, because that's all part of learning how you are uniquely created in God's kingdom.  But we were also prepared to encourage Owen if he didn't do well; explaining that ultimately, being a good runner isn't the point.  (That's what we do with Owen when it comes to art, for example, which is not a particular talent of his.)