We love to see our children thrive in activities and doing well at school. We champion them for doing great in after school activities and having the skills that set them apart from other children and their friends. We can be very proud parents as we share their successes with our own friends and family. We tell our children how amazing they have done but in doing so we need to be careful that the praise does not go to their head and they start to become uber competitive – something called unhealthy competition. We will be aware of this because of the comments they are making and the superiority they are exhibiting over others. No-one likes a brag and we would much prefer that they were modest and took the winning in a mature way.
Tips On Dealing With Unhealthy Competition
If you find your child always comparing their achievements to others a lot encourage them to tone it down a bit. Explain to them that it is okay to be a bit competitive but being like it most of the time will annoy and hurt their friends. Talk to them about the difference between healthy competition and overly competitiveness – which one do they think they are showing?
Look at the behaviour you are displaying too. Are you making comparisons between your different children and your friends children? We are great influencers in our children’s lives and being competitive may come from us. Take a look at yourself and ask are you are placing too much emphasis on being the best and winning. Perhaps you could also tone down the ‘show off’ statements about your children that can make them feel they are exceptionally superior to their peers.
How do you keep the competitiveness in check on your home?
If you would like your child to keep their competitiveness in check and you aren’t getting through to them please feel free to get in touch for some help.
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