Participation trophies given to children has been a controversial topic amongst all parents. Some say that one should be rewarded based off of effort, other than talent. Others say that one should not be rewarded for failure. They believe that you only earn what you work for. Giving participation trophies to children do nothing other than set their life up with complacency. Children who receive participation trophies growing up respond negatively to failure, underachieve when they have the chance, and collapse at the first sign of difficulty. When some people say how children need participation awards growing up, I can see their reasons why. It encourages them to keep playing the sport, because if they are rewarded for even losing, they want to play next year also because they know they will still receive a …show more content…
Since they are getting praise for participation no matter the outcome, some may think that some children will not try as hard to win. They do not have the desire to win because they are taught they are winners no matter what. Therefore, they tend to underachieve at every single thing they have the chance to let off the gas. In Losing is Good for You, the author expresses, “Awards can be powerful motivators, but nonstop recognition does not inspire children to succeed. It harms them more than it benefits them. Instead, it can cause them to underachieve” (Merryman 1). If children get recognition every second of every day of their lives, they will become complacent and satisfied with the work they put out now. They will not continue to improve, but stay at the same level for they do not have anything to push them for improvement. What should actually happen is parents giving their children credit where it is due, but do not give them too much, to where as they still want to improve and get better every single day of their