Monday, October 7, 2013

"Sportsman-like Conduct" - Teaching how to be a Good Winner

My son is the youngest in his Wolf Cub Scout den and it really shows at times.  Tonight, they played a game with marbles.  He was a bit of a "poor winner" at times.  He pointed out when other kids missed and made a big deal when he did win.  I had to pull him aside and talk to him about cooperation and sportsman-like conduct.

He's still very literal, so before every meeting, I try to go over expectations of him.  As a kid, I would have found this insulting, but he's very black-and-white.  He needs extra reminders not to talk out of turn often.  I didn't think I'd have to state not to point at a kid that missed and comment on it, but I guess he does need to be reminded of this.  I'll keep this in mind before the next meeting and try to think of every possible scenario.

He doesn't mind that we do this and he seems to need his exact expectations spelled out.  It takes me out of my comfort zone to do this, but I have to put my kids' needs ahead of my discomfort.

Plus, his leader this year is pretty strict.  He is a colonel in the military (not sure which branch).  Even I feel more comfortable calling him "colonel" or Mr. S, rather than by his first name.

Thanks for reading!

 - Vanessa

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