Competition...

You know friends, nothing gets me going like a little competition and it's that subject to which I'd like to concentrate today. You see, as a parent, I purpose the tool to teach my children how to conduct themselves in situations of both winning also losing, but most importantly to build their self esteem. It seems to me that exposing my children to the spirit of competition affords them the opportunity to experience, early on, many of the valuable lessons life has to teach.

With that being said, many studies have concluded that competition and keeping score should be excluded from the early childhood curriculum. It is to those studies I emphatically thumb my nose! If it hadn't been for fierce competition at an early age in my life (Glory to God) I wouldn't be the person standing before you today. Look at the facts people...I eventually went on to peak and win a city title for the 10 and under Tastycake Jr. Basketball Bullets! ** I poured in 6 points that day!

So how does one obtain such status you ask? For me, the evenings and weekends of my youth were filled with fierce competition thanks to my brothers. I remember times we'd play basketball from sun up until sun down and in between those times came Power Pad battles of epic proportions! It is my recollection that many a game had to be halted due to "fisticuff escalation." This because one of us couldn't hold our own in Contra or Jackal, or simply put, the intensity level in our head to head Techmo Bowl and Double Dribble battles ended in last second defeat!

As parents today, technology has ill afforded us the opportunity to sit on our laurels. The original nintendo is an artifact of the past and in a world where Guitar Hero and Fight Night rule, it is my responsibility to equip my seeds with those same lessons that catapulted me to greatness.

I challenge each and every parent to have the desire to have your children surpass all your hopes, dreams, and greatness. To have all mine become better than myself - that is success! So get involved and use competition as a tool to take them to the next level, build their self esteem, and oh...serve 'em a piece of humble pie when they snicker and challenge you to a battle in Guitar Hero! In the words of Grandma Klump "I ain't no easy win sucka!"

**Those 6 points scored in the pregame lay up line in no way counted toward the official score and therefore did not actually contribute to the victory in any way!

Bottom Line - Kids keep score when adults don't!
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