Do parents expect too much of their children and put too much emphasis on them on winning?
All families are different, however every parent wants the best for their child and wants to see their child excelling when compared to their peers.
Consider a 2, 3 or 4 child family - while expecting each child to do their best when pitted against each other, only one child can come out on top. The others should be nurtured to understand that not everyone can occupy the top spot but everyone can try their best and achieve satisfaction from competing. Equally coming second, third or fourth is not a bad thing, it is only a reflection of their ability today. Everyone has the capability to be first in the future. Our 4 year old son calls it first winner, second winner, third winner and fourth winner; encouragingly, in his innocent world the idea of losing does not exist.
In our family of four with two young children, we have developed a love for chess. Of course, us parents would always win during the early days, while our children learned how each piece moved and strategy for winning the game. Nowadays though, no matter if its adult vs child or child vs child, the outcome of each game is certainly not a foregone conclusion; every member of our family has won at least one game against every other member.
Despite some tears when we first introduced chess and "ate their queen", within the period of a week or so we had educated our children that it is OK to come second in a two player game and via practice and exposure to the game of chess eventually they would be able to win. Today they have first hand experience that practice makes perfect, which we can use to encourage them to keep improving as they grow up if ever they experience dissatisfaction with their performance in future in any walk of life.
Another example is when our son wanted to learn how to play badminton. Earlier this year, we bought him a junior badminton racket for school. Recently he showed a lot of interest, and kept asking us to play with him. Obviously, at the start, he would struggle to serve, and then it was trying to keep a rally between players. As parents, our job was to give him proper guidance (learn how to hold the racket properly for a start, followed by how to serve), lots of practice and also to encourage so that he will not give up easily. Sure enough, our boy could soon serve well and when he managed to hit the shuttlecock back 5 times, he was overjoyed.
Have a look at this social experiment video and share with me what your thoughts on it - how would your child have reacted in this situation? You can also join in the #nevergiveup discussion with other moms at MILO Malaysia Facebook page.
We recreated this scene at home with our two kids, and asked "Choose the number / position you would like to be at" and as 81% of the kids in the video did, our kids went for #1. We asked them why they chose #1, and they said "because we want to be the best". What would you do if you were in #2, to which they answered "just try harder next time". That's what I like to hear, kids ;)
Hubby and I do not place great emphasis on them getting 1st place in studies or sports, but we do encourage them to always try their best. I think kids themselves feel great pride in themselves whenever they do well and can grow when encouraged in the right environment. This year, our son made us very proud when he emerged as the top student in his class as well as overall in his school. Our daughter got 2nd place in her class, but that's okay - because we know she tried her best.
Do also catch the #takkangentar TV series, featuring kids under 14 from Ombak FC as they strive to be the top of the 1MCC league in junior football. Watch their #nevergiveup spirit in this series which will start airing on Tuesday, 18th August onwards til 6th October for a total of 8 episodes on ASTRO PRIMA. Reruns will be shown on ASTRO ARENA at 10am Saturdays.
For more info, please visit MILO Malaysia website.
*This is a sponsored post.
All families are different, however every parent wants the best for their child and wants to see their child excelling when compared to their peers.
Consider a 2, 3 or 4 child family - while expecting each child to do their best when pitted against each other, only one child can come out on top. The others should be nurtured to understand that not everyone can occupy the top spot but everyone can try their best and achieve satisfaction from competing. Equally coming second, third or fourth is not a bad thing, it is only a reflection of their ability today. Everyone has the capability to be first in the future. Our 4 year old son calls it first winner, second winner, third winner and fourth winner; encouragingly, in his innocent world the idea of losing does not exist.
In our family of four with two young children, we have developed a love for chess. Of course, us parents would always win during the early days, while our children learned how each piece moved and strategy for winning the game. Nowadays though, no matter if its adult vs child or child vs child, the outcome of each game is certainly not a foregone conclusion; every member of our family has won at least one game against every other member.
Despite some tears when we first introduced chess and "ate their queen", within the period of a week or so we had educated our children that it is OK to come second in a two player game and via practice and exposure to the game of chess eventually they would be able to win. Today they have first hand experience that practice makes perfect, which we can use to encourage them to keep improving as they grow up if ever they experience dissatisfaction with their performance in future in any walk of life.
Another example is when our son wanted to learn how to play badminton. Earlier this year, we bought him a junior badminton racket for school. Recently he showed a lot of interest, and kept asking us to play with him. Obviously, at the start, he would struggle to serve, and then it was trying to keep a rally between players. As parents, our job was to give him proper guidance (learn how to hold the racket properly for a start, followed by how to serve), lots of practice and also to encourage so that he will not give up easily. Sure enough, our boy could soon serve well and when he managed to hit the shuttlecock back 5 times, he was overjoyed.
Our son likes having MILO during his badminton break for an energy boost
Have a look at this social experiment video and share with me what your thoughts on it - how would your child have reacted in this situation? You can also join in the #nevergiveup discussion with other moms at MILO Malaysia Facebook page.
We recreated this scene at home with our two kids, and asked "Choose the number / position you would like to be at" and as 81% of the kids in the video did, our kids went for #1. We asked them why they chose #1, and they said "because we want to be the best". What would you do if you were in #2, to which they answered "just try harder next time". That's what I like to hear, kids ;)
Hubby and I do not place great emphasis on them getting 1st place in studies or sports, but we do encourage them to always try their best. I think kids themselves feel great pride in themselves whenever they do well and can grow when encouraged in the right environment. This year, our son made us very proud when he emerged as the top student in his class as well as overall in his school. Our daughter got 2nd place in her class, but that's okay - because we know she tried her best.
Do also catch the #takkangentar TV series, featuring kids under 14 from Ombak FC as they strive to be the top of the 1MCC league in junior football. Watch their #nevergiveup spirit in this series which will start airing on Tuesday, 18th August onwards til 6th October for a total of 8 episodes on ASTRO PRIMA. Reruns will be shown on ASTRO ARENA at 10am Saturdays.
For more info, please visit MILO Malaysia website.
*This is a sponsored post.
yea kids when frustrate will tend to give up . Will have to motivate them
ReplyDeleteNICE PICTURES, INTRESTING READING,
ReplyDeleteI love MILO, it keeps me (and my kids) going!!! Great post, and again you have a very lovely family there. :)
ReplyDelete