Don't Compare

It's hard not to compare. Just ask my boys. Everyday without fail you'll hear "But gor gor did this what" or "It's not fair, di di....."

About 2 weeks back, Ewan came home showing off his Model Student badge (bronze - ya, got levels one). Ethan preempted any questions from us by saying it only applies to P1's. I wasn't going to ask what ;-) You know it's hard not to be overly enthusiastic about Ewan's "achievement". You have to praise him mah but must be sensitive to the one who doesn't have. Two days later, the badges were given out to P3's and Ethan got his. Phew! Made our parenting job easier.

Ethan was selected for story-telling competition. He and another boy were told to prepare a story during the June hols and the class would vote for the better one to represent them. Ethan was selected and he got 3rd prize in the competition last week. Ewan on the other hand was also one of the 2 in his class selected to recite a poem but he wasn't chosen eventually. His classmate went on to win the first prize. At first poor Ewan was so disappointed - he claimed that he didn't trip during his recitation but the other boy did, so why wasn't he chosen? How would you answer if you were a parent ;-) Life is not fair my dear, hahaha. I didn't say that lah but something along the line that you can be proud of yourself if you have done the best, blah, blah blah. Then when his classmate got first in the competition, Ewan said that his classmate's performance was good while others were mumbling. I'm so proud of him. It takes character to recognize someone else's talent and not be sour grapes about it, right?

It's a hard lesson to teach but parents must teach it. We need to help our kids to deal with what they deem "unfair". Listen to their concerns and help them see that while putting their best effort may not earn them what they were hoping for, they can still be proud of a job well done. They need to learn it now. Not when they are passed over for a promotion or when the girl they like doesn't reciprocate, lol.