We all want children to be treated fairly, to get equal opportunities, and to have the chance to do and be anything they want to be. At first glance, it seems only fair. But we have to look at the outcomes of these actions, to make sure they are doing what’s intended…and the truth is, when everybody gets a trophy, the person who worked the hardest feels cheated, and the one who knows that they are not as skilled as some others feels embarrassed. EVERYBODY LOSES. Then when this generation grows up, they will have learned not to try to succeed, because they deserve to win just by showing up.

Maybe it would be better to teach our youth that FAIR has nothing to do with life, and when you get knocked down by an obstacle, you get back up and go through it. This will instill resilience, which is much more valuable than a trophy. Better yet, maybe we teach by example of how we face our own hardships. Do we call “foul”, “it’s not my fault”, or “it wasn’t fair”; sure…but hopefully we are able to grow to learn that it is only through accepting conflict that we grow into something better. Embrace the suck and ask for more. Guaranteed, someone’s watching…