Anne Josephson:
James Harrison returned his children’s participation trophies and my Facebook newsfeed blew up with news of the story as well as numerous op ed pieces, most all crediting Harrison for a parenting job well done. …
I want to be clear: I have no problem with the parenting choice Harrison made. In fact, I have huge admiration for his Instagram post.
Not so much for the act of returning the trophies as for these lines “I am very proud of my boys for everything they do and will encourage them till the day I die…” and “I’m not about to raise two boys to be men by making them believe that they are entitled to something just because they tried their best…cause sometimes your best is not enough, and that should drive you to want to do better.”
But I am not convinced that jumping on the “no participation trophy” bandwagon is the way to go. At least without considering the unintended consequences of doing so. …
I tend to agree with Anne. Extrinsic rewards are neither good nor bad. It depends on how they are used.
related – mothering.com – Trophy Kids and the Cycle of Artificial Self-Esteem
Gymnastics Coaching.com 