No...you don't get a trophy for showing up! Oh wait, yes you do...

Not  my daughter's room

The other day, I was dusting the trophy shelf in my daughter's room.

I grabbed one of her trophies to check it out.  Then I looked at the amount of trophies she has.

For every sport she's participated in, there is an accompanying trophy.

Since I was feeling all nostalgic, I decided to dig out my old cheerleading trophy to share with her.

Yep, hers is the big one 

I've only got one now, because I have no clue where the others may be after all these years.  (I've only got 3)  This one I had handy because I'm particularly proud of it.  I was "Miss Yell."  Good to know my big mouth came in handy at least once in my life.

Beaming with pride, I showed her my trophy only to be met with, "Why is it so small, mommy?"

Ugh, shot down!

It was all I could do to blurt out... BECAUSE I EARNED IT!  But I restrained myself.

Truth is, "back in the day" they didn't just hand out trophies because you participated in the sport.  You actually had to do something to merit receiving a trophy.

I also went to catholic school & when we competed it was at and against another catholic school, the nuns were the judges & they were none too kind about it brutal.

You needed to be on your game or they made you cry.
I kid you not.

After being shot down - I decided to let allow my daughter to hold it and her revel in the pure weight of my magnificent (very tiny) trophy.

"Wow, that's heavy, Mommy."

Well yes it is, sweetie (beaming with pride) - it's real marble & real metal. (not like the cheap ass trophies they give out now)  Truth be told, it could hurt someone!

Ok so...what the heck are we teaching these kids?  Just show up and you get a prize?  What is this, the Big Top?  Step right up, everyone gets a prize???  What happened to the hard work and drive?

The WANT to win and succeed so you could get a much sought after trophy?  To be your best!  To go for what you want and never give up!

I don't get it.

I do not, at all, agree with the every one's a winner philosophy.

No, sometimes there's a loser and you need to be good at that too! (The world needs sandwich makers, right Lynne?)
Sorry, no trophies for that.  Yet.


Hang tight though, I'm fairly sure someone may come up with one.  Ya know, so the losers don't feel bad.

When I was in cheer, I was pushed hard to be not just good, but better and best.  Like I said, they'd make you cry.  They didn't pull any punches - if you sucked you'd be very aware of it.

Sometimes you need to suck!  You need to know where the suck-fest starts and where the goal line is so you can run toward it!  You need to be properly guided, to know the best way to get there & you need to be pushed along.

If you fall down - stop crying.  Brush yourself off and get moving.

I can't control what happens outside my front door.  I can only control what happens inside my home.

I will welcome my daughter's many participation trophies but I will never stop telling her that even though she's great - she can always do better, there's more & go get it.

Never give up!


The world is your playground.  Rock it baby!

Thank you for reading my blog!

~Jenn