Between school and sports and friends and work, e-mails fly back and forth, often leaving little time to give each topic a second thought. So it struck me as noteworthy when a recent exchange among the parents on my son’s soccer team took an unexpected turn toward the thoughtful and thought-provoking.
It all started with a seemingly simple question: Should we order player trophies or medals to mark the end of the season? (This is in addition to a swimming party and a personalized certificate for each player.)
“I know I’m probably in the minority on this one,” wrote our assistant coach, “but since you asked: I feel like throwing a pool party … and giving the kids a really nice, photo-illustrated certificate with a comment by the coach … is enough reward for a season well played. Do the players need a trophy or a medal on top of that?” (And do we parents need more “stuff” collecting dust in our homes?, he added.)
In theory, we all agreed, with the exception of one parent who came out in strong support of trophies, but objections were raised nonetheless. Mainly they centered around the fact that the boys have grown accustomed to getting “awards” and that older siblings have shelves full of trophies and medals in comparison.
One mom reasonably countered, “We have an older child too, and that has never stopped us from wanting to buck the trend — we must be the change we wish to see in the world… But I don’t care about this change enough to make a big deal/debate.”
All in all, it was a lively and thoughtful discussion, giving us all pause to consider our parts in furthering a culture of excess, but in the end, we wimped out and decided on medals. It was a noble idea, but without unanimous agreement, it just didn’t seem weighty enough to ruffle any feathers.
Posted by Emily

October 29th, 2008 | Category: Metro Parent