August 29, 2011
I found both articles very interesting; however I took a particular liking to the reading entitled, “Children Need to Play, Not Compete”. I have a very sport oriented family, so naturally my brother and I grew up playing if not attempting just about everything. As well as my brother and I being a part of the team, so were my parents. My mom and dad were both the coaches for our basketball teams and our track team. The best part about having my parents as my coaches was that they always treated everyone fairly, encouraged all the players, and never took the game too seriously. Of course winning is always fun, but it is not everything. A persons most vulnerable point is in their early developing stages, and if those years are filled with stress and maturity levels beyond them, then that may very well be carried on to the rest of their lives. When thinking of another person, you must always put yourself in their shoes. For example, would you want to deal with that stress at such a young age? Would you want your own children to deal with it? Sometimes we don’t always remember how to treat people, if we have not been treated the same way. I believe the main lesson to be extracted from this article is to think before we act, and take into consideration how our actions may affect other people.