We were so excited when Ella fell in love with soccer. She’s tried several extra-curricular activies but nothing has really gotten her fired up until soccer. She is very good and absolutely loves the game- probably because she’s good at it.
I didn’t really think about a potential issue when we first started, even though my husband and I have joked that she is not the best “loser” when it comes to games. I always equated it to the fact that we are adults and she’s a kid. So when we joined soccer, which is a team sport, I figured she is social and nice so this should be a fit.
But as the weeks have gone by I have seen a side of her that is disappointing. When it’s her turn to sit out of the game she gets upset, and if she’s not the one scoring the goal, instead of congratulating her teammate she becomes frustrated and agitated. Last night was the worst. She was crying and angry and my husband and I debated taking her out of the game and taking her home.
How did this happen? My sweet girl turned into this competitive monster. Don’t get me wrong, I love the fact that the game has given her confidence and a competitive spirit, but I certainly don’t want her competing with her teammates. So now what do we do? Well this is not uncommon for kids and if you are dealing with something similar or are worried you may have to deal with it in the future, check out these 7 ways you can prevent your child from being a sore loser.
