So I was scrolling through X (Twitter), and read the most hilarious news. Hilarious is the not the right word, maybe absurd and irritating one. I hope to write on a good thing soon, because this news stuff is mostly pessimist.
Anyways, the information says: A football game in the US took an unexpected turn after 3-year-old Nevada Pierre was reported to police and removed from the game following a dispute over her scoring numerous goals against older children.
Pierre's family said some parents complained because the other children could not take the ball away from her. The disagreement escalated, prompting event organizers to call the police. (Etribune)
No offense to anyone, but this is the most US thing I have read. Like what in the seven world is this.
Honestly speaking, I think thiss incident says more about how adults handle competition, or good talent, than how a three or five year old plays football.
Just imagine being that three years old. You find a ball, you run after it, you score goals and you enjoy yourself. Maybe other kids were not enjoying it, but hey, this is a game we are talking about. Not some prince and princess show, where you will get everything as you wish.
Moreover, kids of this age has no ego, no worries about societal or parental expectations,competition or politics. Still somehow, adults managed to turn that into a situation where the police are called.
I have been playing football since the age of seven. So almost two decades of this beautiful game. Even with an ACL injury, I will never expect my opponent to go easy on me. So this whole football thing is kind of important to me.
And yes, there is other side of the story. The league, reports CBS News, director alleged that Nevada, three-years-old, was pushing other children and that his parents had argued over substitutions.
An awful lesson for the young one.
Now, I am not going to judge. Although, I have done it pretty well. Still, whoever is right; the lesson given to the young one is not. You are teaching them to look for alternative, anti-sportsmanship ways, rather than improving or accepting someone else's talent. Kudos to the adult!
And maybe the most concerning thing is that: children learn far more from watching adults than from listening to their lectures. We tell them to work hard, accept defeat gracefully, respect their opponents and keep improving. Yet, when reality puts these lessons to the test, we sometimes become the first to abandon them. Maybe jealousy is the reason, who knows.
Then there is something deeply human about struggling to accept another person's ability, especially when it makes us question our own. Instead of asking what we can learn from someone better than us; we simply start looking for reasons why they should not be allowed to succeed. And when that happens, the problem is no longer the competition. It is our relationship with losing.
Equity over equality.
Of course, a three-year-old needs guidance, and adults have a responsibility to ensure that every child is safe and treated fairly. But fairness does not mean making everyone equally successful. It means giving everyone an honest opportunity to try.
I do not know exactly what happened on that football field, and perhaps none of us should rush to a verdict. But I do know that children deserve better examples of how to handle disagreement. Because, at the end of the day, we all are humans. We are suppose to compete and not to hate one another. It is not about winning or losing, even taking part is enough. Give your best with passion, and enjoy the moment.
We cannot teach children to become better players by making the game easier for them. Nor can we teach them good sportsmanship by refusing to practise it ourselves.
Sometimes, the person who needs to learn the most from a children's game is not a child at all.
...................
Peace 馃晩
...................