Winning Ways

Children aren’t born losers they’re made losers. Here are some guidelines for teaching your child winning ways.

Jack or Jessica, you might say to your pre-teen or teenager--when you’re lucky enough to get his full attention, :

“A WINNER is someone who says:’I want to find out ..or, I want to try to do that’” even when the task looks difficult and he’s not at all sure he’ll succeed.

“A LOSER insists, ’Nobody can do that or knows all that’ or, “It will take too much time to try."

“A WINNER admits, ‘I’m good at that, but not as good as I can be'”

“A LOSER whines ‘I’m not as bad as a lot of other kids I know’”

“A WINNER listens and learns. He respects people who have had more experience than he, parents, teachers, grandparents. He tries to use their guidance to improve himself."

“A LOSER pays little attention to what his parents, teachers, or other adults etc .are saying. Instead, he waits mindlessly or concentrates upon what he’ll answer back when its his turn to talk. He resents “being told” anything even when he knows the advice is helpful”

“A WINNER knows how to wait for what he wants, and how to work hard to get it.”

“A LOSER expects instant satisfaction and instant success"

“A WINNER somehow always does more than what he has to do, more than the job actually requires.”

“A LOSER manages to do as little as possible”

“A WINNER admits his mistakes. He says, “I was careless; I didn’t look where I was going and I fell’”

“A LOSER blames other people, complaining: ‘Somebody pushed me.’

What we tried to teach our children, foster child and now grandchildren is that “ Life is like a card game. Winning isn’t always a matter of the cards you’re dealt but how you play the game.