Stone, Paper, Scissors...

Yes, it is Sports Day… and we are all excited!

Both my children are participating.

My daughter is in Grade 1 and my son is in Jr. KG.

My daughter is a pro by now, winning Golds in running year after year.

But this is my son’s very first running race.

They have gone through the drill.

He is excited.

He and his little friend are standing at the starting mark, waiting for the whistle.

And they wait…

And wait…

And wait some more…..

Now, They get bored.

So, they decide to play Stone, Paper, Scissors.

Completely engrossed in their game, they don’t even notice when the whistle blows!

Half a minute later, they look up, realise the race has begun, and finally run towards the finish line…

Laughing all the way.

In the car on the way home, his sister asks him,

“Are you feeling bad? You missed the whistle.”

He looks at her and says,

“Oh, no! Not at all. The teacher didn’t realise…

I am the winner!!!”

And honestly, maybe he was.

Yes he did not win the race.

But because he didn’t let missing the whistle, or the race take away the joy of the day.

Some children are just born with this attitude.

They don’t keep score the way we do.

They don’t turn every little thing into a failure.

They simply enjoy the game.

If you have a child like this, please value this attitude above all.

Because one day, the world will teach them to compete.

Let’s make sure we don’t teach them to stop enjoying the game.