Why Kids are such Pansies Today - fishepa's Blog

fishepa's Blog

Why Kids are such Pansies Today

Posted on November 11, 2008 at 12:58 PM.

(8)

I have to admit, pretty much every little kid I see from the age of 3 to about 11...is a pansy. Gone are the days of NOT getting a trophy when you don't win. Gone are the days of riding a bicycle WITHOUT a helmet. Gone are the days of jumping on a trampoline WITHOUT a 10 foot safety net all around it.

When I played little league baseball, and tee ball, and basketball as a child, you didn't get a trophy if you didn't win. Yeah, maybe you would get one for 2nd place or 3rd, but now everyone wins and gets a trophy. Everyone is a winner. No, we can't keep score in tee ball anymore, we wouldn't want someone's feeling to get hurt. God forbid little Johnny knows what it feels like to be a loser. Maybe losing and getting nothing would make little Johnny actually work hard for things in life instead of having everything given to him.

When I bumped my head or scraped my knee and ran to mom, she said stop crying and get over it. I look back and realized that those words apply to pretty much everything in life. When my wife and I do have kids (hopefully soon), they will get the same advice.

Comments

# 1 BrianFifaFan @ Nov 11

I agree with life having winners and losers. To strive to win and succeed is a valuable life lesson. Competition is a neccessary part of driving a person to strive for their personal best. And losing can be a tool to cause a person to reflect and focus on improving one's self to do better. But we must reinforce the concept of sportmanship and fair play as a part of those lessons being taught. "It's not whether you win or lose, but how you play the game" still rings true today. I think that maybe sometimes persons can go to soft. Maybe they just need to rememver those old truisms and teach kids how both life is and how it can be if a person strives for their very best. Then the concept of "winning" is given a more subjective view, and "losing" isn't viewed as the ultimate failure, but fuel for improving one's self so that they might win the next one.....

# 2 fishepa @ Nov 11

Definitely agree Brian, good post.

# 3 Skerik @ Nov 11

Agreed 100%.

It's a little weird to be reading a scathing rant against our wussified youth and see a picture of the author in a cheerleader outfit accompanying the post, but the badass mustache helps even it all out.

# 4 trobinson97 @ Nov 11

Agreed. I remember getting so many nice trophies and certificates for being an all around awesome kid, and it would have sucked to know that the not so great youngsters were getting undo appreciation as well.

# 5 larrygiterdone @ Nov 15

couldnt agree more

# 6 rudyjuly2 @ Nov 19

Kids are pansies! I don't like the helmet laws for bikes either and I question all of the intervention government does in our lives when it only affects us.

# 7 CMH @ Nov 19

You'll like this.

http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critic...books_acocella

# 8 WazzuRC @ Jan 2

I don't know...I agree with everything but Rudy's post about helmets. I agree that there is a certain point when a kid doesn't need his helmet and can think for his own but there are a lot of jackass drivers who don't pay attention to driving even in their own neighborhoods because they are too busy talking on their cellphones, eating, and doing anything else but watching their surroundings. I want my kids to be as safe as possible...it's not I don't trust my kid I just don't trust other people. I'm not letting my kid become a pansy, I'm just making sure his/her safety is a priority. It's the same with seatbelts no?

100% agree about the winners/losers though. Not getting a trophy or award made me strive even harder to become better in all sports I played.