The excitement in the field can change when your kid just loses the match. Yes, it could be a challenge to deal with it when it’s something they are more invested in, it could result as heartbreaking also when you know your child practice hard, get excited about a fencing tournament, try their hardest, and then lose, it can be quite the parenting challenge to know how to support them through the heartache.
1. “I love watching you fence.”
Talking to them about the importance of the failure to use it as an advantage and learning that is part of success, life will bring some failures but we are the ones who determine how to use them.
“I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” Michael Jordan
2. Your child will develop a healthy attitude towards competition. As a parent, encourage your child to use his or her losses as motivation to improve and to view elite athletes who are at the same level as them as examples for where they can improve and how they can become better athletes themselves.
3." You need to perform for yourself and your team"
Explain to them that as athletes they need to stop worrying about what others think of their performance. If they lose it's okay because they give their best.
4. "It's okay to be upset'
One of the things children often dread the most is the ride home with their parents. If your child is really upset and you don’t think they should be, it’s not up to you.
5. As a last tip reward the effort. This is a great practice to reward your child and let them know the importance of healthy competition. Keep in mind that anyone 12 and under is still learning to cope with losing; you can create a rewarding system that helps your child to measure accomplishments in improvements and effort rather than lose and win, finding ways to improve.
