Teaching kids to compete - the value of keeping score.

Some kids react very poorly to winning or losing.

My little brother has always been fiercely competitive. He whines and pouts when he's losing and blames other people on his team, or if its by himself, he accuses others of cheating. But when he's winning he's a little prick... just gloating and saying "ohhh yeah, I'm the man, I'm so awesome"

I told my mom to put his ass in little league because he really needs to learn the value of being on a team and learning to be a gracious winner / loser.

Of course he'd just be subjected to vicarious dads in the stands kicking dirt on the umpires while 5 seconds ago he was yelling "good eye son, don't get discouraged", but thats another matter.

 

Sad that this is even worth discussing. Why not just let kids go to school and not give them exams? Kids will grow up to be mindless zombies if they aren't constantly exposed to the countless emotional ups and downs that are part of life.

 

It's validation for the parent that they've "worked hard" raising the little runt.

 

I absolutely keep score. My kids need to learn how to win and how to lose. I want them to learn the competitive spirit.

However, and this is the tough part...

I feel that it is equally important for them to learn that just because they win or lose, that doesn't make them a better person than their competitors. Different people have different skills and where my son/daughter may defeat the competition in one thing they may also be defeated in another. This does not make them superior or inferior, it's just that people are different.

That's a tough concept for a child to grasp. But that's also a key part of sportsmanship - respecting your competitor even if you win or lose.
 

 

I voted No just to equalize the poll a bit. I think it's too broad to say scoring should or shouldn't be kept. In some cases it's appropriate, in others there's no point. If I'm playing, the score should be kept. If it's my 4 year old, well she won't even know the rules of the game.

 

I think its just more of the Obama Marxist Conspiracy creeping into our society right under our noses. One minute we're whining about high school teams scoring too many touchdowns, the next we're lining up to claim our government cheese.

Eventually we'll all just realize we are nothing but equals and competing is a useless measure of one's worth.

Capitalism is just drivel that shows us how evil we become the more we crush other people's skulls to achieve our own selfish goals.

Hell, even Wal-Mart is promoting that socialist agenda lately.

Has anyone seen the new ad where the big sister is playing Monopoly and just up and "gives" her brother a hotel? I mean what kind of horse**** is that? In my house, there is blood shed over the Monopoly Board, not a bunch of sharing and giving and happy-fun Carebear Orgies. I mean I'm not going to cut you a ****ing deal on Park Place if you only have Boardwalk and Waterworks and a few hundred bucks, You better damn well pay me fair market value and if you don't I will crush you with my St Charles - States - Virginia Monopoly of Doom. YAY AMERICA!


Aye, Comrades?

 

My son is in a 3 year old soccer league and it would be worthless to keep score. They get just as excited when they other team scores as when they score.

 

Michael Moore like Big Macs.








Cuz he's fat.

 

To quote a great American Hero...

"If your not first, your last."


Without keeping score we would never have a winner, so whats the point.

 

I absolutely hated it in the younger stages of Little League when they would not keep score. Even when I was 5 years old, I kept score in my head because I wanted to make sure I would win

It's ridiculous if parents are afraid to let their kids lose. It's part of life. Losing made winning that much better.

 

I can't recall a single score from any organized sporting event in which I ever participated and there was a ton and we always kept score! Granted it's been 20 years and I remember the 2 teams I was on as a kid that came in last place, but guess what folks, losing will not cripple a child. Being a giant vagina will.

 

keep the score?

Says the man who is obsessed with padding his numbers. What are you now the only 50K posts member?

Shame on you even Bill Bilicheck has more decency. Oh well Dada I am waiting for that mandatory HGH testing on you so we can once and for all remove your numbers from the BBS and move on.

 

bingo, next week he'll be starting another cat thread

 

I think not keeping score is stupid. Kids know what the score is. They can count. They're not going to feel any better about getting their butts kicked just because they may have lost count and they don't know exactly how bad it was.

 

By 'keep score' I'm guessing you mean standings?

Because ever since my son started playing at 4, the parents, kids and coaches have known who won every game. They usually also know the team record. One year the kids kept stats! My son's 7 too. He played in U9 last yr (he's a big kid) on a good team. His team "won" the league (like I said -- all the coaches parents and kids kept score and knew the records of the better teams), and motivation and competition were never a problem. If anything -- kids that age can be too competitive! Easiest way to calm them after a disputed goal was to remind them that the score didn't matter. I can do without an outraged DD post on Monday morning on how the ref (probably some kid) blew the call that will forever stain your kids teams record and self-esteem ).

We kept score for the year end tournament. But it was pretty low key.

So if the kids are keeping score -- and the parents and coaches are keeping score -- what's the problem? Be competitive every game. No need for validation from published standings at this age at the 'house' level. That will come when your kids get older. One year, my son's team scored one goal from from January to March. Their team was brutal. They were motivated, but had younger, smaller, less talented players. They still had a blast -- every kid showed up for every practice and game. It wouldn't have been as much fun if every week the parents were emailing each other a list showing how bad they really were.

And they did keep score each game (and dogpiled eachother on that one goal -- which made it 5-1 or something similar) but each game they started with a clean slate. Just let them play.

 

Spoiler

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