Hunter McCraw In my track season, I made it to the regional competition, but I lost and I was not allowed to go further in the postseason. I did not receive any ribbons, trophies, or awards for my participation. This strives me even today to push harder than I did last season to get further in the postseason than just the regional competition. I know participation awards are a dangerous message to kids and will not help prepare them for what is to come in the future. A reason kids should not receive participation awards is because it makes them feel like a normal kid, when they should feel unique and one of a kind. If kids know they are going to get an award as long as they show up, why would a kid bother to try hard? The kid may want to be the best, but if they get an award for not being the best then it makes them not want to be …show more content…
Children tend to quit things once they feel like they have accomplished it, but they may have not been good at all and want to get better. Kids won’t know that you do not receive awards for everything in life until it hits them in face unexpectedly. Giving kids awards for everything they do will make them unable to strive for more when they get into competitive sports such as high school sports, where if you do not do better than your opponent, you receive no awards or trophies, and you go back home wishing you would have done better. To kids who have been given awards for everything they do, it hurts them emotionally and makes them feel empty. They should learn to get better and to strive for success next time they go out there in competition. Kids may learn all of these intangibles, but they can not use them without the physical ability and experience of losing to do