Children Need to Play Not Compete - Essay Example

Summary and Response Affiliation Summary In "Children Need to Play, Not Compete”,  Jessica Statsky argues that various sport competitions are harmful for children. First of all, children are not developed physically to meet the requirements of team sport games such as basketball or football. Moreover, these games make children compete with each other with a sole purpose to win. As a result, children cannot enjoy the game itself if it does not result in victory. Statsky stresses the fact that competition is psychologically harmful for children.

Parents often use their children to fulfill their ambitions to be winners. It is a fact that competition prepares children to adult life; at the same time, it takes away their carefree childhood. Selectiveness of different kinds of sport activities is another issue; there are many children who cannot participate because they will never win the game. This fear to be worse than others results in low self-esteem and stress. Overall, the author suggests that children need to learn to cooperate with others; they have an opportunity to do this when they are still not ready for competing.

Response Statsky uses persuasive arguments when she states that sport competitions are harmful for children. It is true that many of them are forced to spend all their free time training by their parents and coaches. Instead of being protected from the adverse influences of adult world, they are the first to learn about harsh requirements, injustice and judgments which are not always objective. It is necessary to remember that parental ambitions should never be decisive in lives of their children.

They have the right to choose what they want to do. Moreover, the stress on the necessity to win the game is psychologically oppressing for young children because they are afraid of failure and shame associated with it. On the other hand, sport competitions for children are not as bad as it is described in the essay. The cases used as examples are rather individual; they do not cover attitudes, opinions and experiences of all children who attend sport sections. Most of these children are happy with what they do because they socialize with their peers and append their time usefully.

They are protected from many bad influences like overexposure to TV and computer. Children who attend various sport sections learn to be better self-organized and efficient in what they do. Their desire to be the best makes them more perseverant and responsible. Sport is good for their health and body because it keeps them fit and active. Considering the contemporary issue related to child obesity, it is very necessary to teach children to keep their body fit. Sport becomes one of the essential elements of life for these children and they continue attending sport sections when they grow up.

Of course, all activities for children should be well-balanced. If they spend too much time training, it can be exhausting for their growing organisms. Parents and coaches need to cooperate in order to make sure that they do not enforce competition between their children and sport activities let them enjoy what they do. The fear of failure may be prevented if parents support their children and love them as they are. All in all, they need a chance to become the best. Statsky makes a good claim when she offers that coaches need to focus on developing communicative skills of children.

If they learn to cooperate and work in a team, these skills will never be neglected in their adult life. In summary, sport has both positive and negative effects on children. Statsky focuses on negative consequences of sport competitions for children but she forgets to mention all positive effects which appear when children attend sport sections. It is true that high demands and the fear of failure are harmful for kids. At the same time, if parents support their children and love them as they are, they can protect their kids from these negative outcomes and let them enjoy sport.

References Statsky, J. Children need to play, not compete. In Axelrod, R. B., & Cooper, C. R. (2010). The St. Martins Guide to Writing. Macmillan. pp.270-274.