By Ava Breslin Coddling or self-confidence boosting? The debate between having participation ribbons or not has been a very controversial one in the parenting community. While both sides have very strong values and ideas and can be argued, I agree with getting rid of the participation awards altogether. One the one hand, when children are younger, some have argued in favor of the participation medals and ribbons. This keeps kids eager and excited to play the sport/activity, which would later inspire the kids to continue on and keep improving. About 95% of all sports teams don’t get a winning trophy for the obvious reasons: there is only one winning team. So why shouldn’t the other 95% get some sort of recognition for participating? I can see this being argued because of it’s a very good boost to the kids self esteem. It can make the children feel important and give them a reason to stay involved in whatever sport/activity they are participating in. On the other hand, the problem with these awards is that they can promote the children to settle for mediocrity. It tricks their minds into thinking it’s ok if they don’t really try because they will still get recognition. This can then transfer into other aspects of their life and create problems. They can start thinking less of their potential. This could lead to lower grades as well as overall achievements. By taking away this kind of self-lessening award, students and children can start trying to achieve more. One source (changingthegame.com) states that participation awards, “...do not teach kids about the real world, and promote a warped sense of their own self-importance.” This could cause children to grow up being entitled and more focused on what they are getting out of something, rather than the actual experience. While both sides of the argument seem valid, I believe one side is stronger. I think participation awards should no longer be given out to the younger generations. It promotes entitlement and can lead to them not reaching their full potential in the activities they do.
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Elena Caputo
Hi! My name is Elena, and I'm a senior at Wilson and one of the Editors of the Editorial section. If you have any questions or ideas or if you want to write, email me at [email protected]! Olivia MonosHello! My name is Olivia and I'm a junior this year, and one of the editors of the Editorial section! I'm really excited to write for the Paw Print again this year!
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