Reply to This war on Participation Trophies is completely overblown.

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Reply to "This war on Participation Trophies is completely overblown."

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[quote=Anonymous]First of all, participation trophies/ribbons/medals are nothing new. When I was a kid, I also typically received some sort of tangible recognition when I completed an activity. It's more of a keepsake than an award. I think most children know this. Also, it's usually stated in the team/class description when you sign your kid up that all participants will receive whatever, so it shouldn't be a surprise.

My kids have received their fair share of competitive awards as well as participation awards. Believe me, they KNOW the difference!

A couple of examples...

DD1 tried lots of activities throughout grade school. All on a recreational level. She received plenty of participation awards that she would bring home and display in her room. She wasn't under the impression that she had won anything, but was proud of herself for trying something new. Then she joined an actual competitive volleyball team in 5th grade. Her team WON 1st place. She wore that medal around her neck until she went to bed that night. And then she displayed it very prominently in her room. She certainly knew that that medal was different from all the others.

DD2 has all of her competitive awards displayed in her room. Her participation awards are in a box in her closet. She came across it recently and decided to look through it. She had fun remembering the activities and was proud that she has tried so many different things. Then she paused on a medal she got for tennis lessons and said "That was really fun. I forgot how much I liked tennis." And then she asked if she could take tennis lessons again.

I think there are a lot of problems with kids' sports right now. But sending them home with a memento is not one of them.[/quote]

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