In recent years, competition has become an indispensable part of our lives. All of us, including even children, are involved in competition. This has stirred up much controversy over whether children should be exposed to competition. With the irreplaceable importance of competition, children should be exposed to competition despite the fact that it may bring stress to them.
Many say that competition is a torture to children who should lead carefree lives at such an early stage. It is true that competition may be stressful for children but this is not tantamount to a torture. As long as parents can help children to strike a balance between the stress brought by competition and the invaluable benefits gained from it, I am sure children will enjoy learning from competition. If we can teach them to adjust their mental state wisely, competition will not be so traumatic to them.
Though some may misunderstand that competition may be too harsh for the children, competition is actually a vital tool to prepare children for their future development. It is important to get a taste of the competitive environment they will face when they grow up. There is no better way for them to experience challenges and learn to adapt to them at an early stage. Without competition, children will definitely be incapable of handling failures which are inevitable in lives, especially when society is full of challenges. Apart from the local counterparts, they will unavoidably compete with elites from overseas in order to survive. Competition may be tough for the children, but it is better to equip them in advance than to keep them away from the reality because leaving them handicapped in face of competition is crueler to them.
In addition to that, competition is in fact an extremely effective and rewarding way to train children. The desire to excel and the sense of superiority can surely motivate children to make breakthroughs. For example, whenever children take examinations, they can better evaluate their abilities and weaknesses in their studies so that they can make progress. It reflects that they can further develop their strengths so that they can know more about themselves, which is a key to boosting self-confidence. Without competition, they cannot make improvements. In short, no matter whether they make self-improvements or outshine others, the sense of satisfaction is very rewarding, so competition is an invaluable experience for their childhood.
On the other hand, some people ignore the bright side of competition. They even claim that competition may turn children into aggressive and selfish ones when they grow up, adversely affecting their sociability. Undoubtedly, this is surely distorted. Instead of being jealous of someone who is better, children can choose to interact with their rivals, learn from the outstanding peers and upgrade themselves. Competing with people from different walks of lives can widen their social circles and broaden their horizons. Throughout this process, they can enhance their interpersonal skills and even learn to be more humble when they realize their weaknesses. So it is wrong to say that competition harms children’s social lives.
It is probable that children may be frustrated by their failures, which may be unpleasant to them. But this is why parents and teachers are so important to guide them to handle their emotional miseries. As long as they do not push children too hard and offer them encouragements, children can surely enjoy the learning process in competition. In short, with better cooperation between teachers and parents as well as proper parental guidance, excessive stress and other growing problems can actually be avoided.
In conclusion, competition is of primary importance to children’s growth. Exposing children to competition is vital to their personal development as well as future survival. Even though competition may be a burden to children, they should learn to overcome it as early as possible. With proper handling, competition can be a very rewarding experience for all children!