Growing these day with competition
“Competition brings out the best in products and the worst in people”, it is said by Faqimi Fauzi, a diploma in Mass Communication and Media at University Mara, Melaka. From the quote, we can know that competition brings two effects, if we do that. It will be more challenging if competition is done in young age or children, because it is a good time to whet children’s brain to be a smart person. According to David Johnson, a professor of social psychology at the University of Minnesota, and his colleague’s research from 1924 to 1980, they found a result. They found that Sixty five of the studies, children learn better when they did competition in the class, eight found the opposite, and there is no significant difference for the rest from 100 studies. People who do not like competition in young age conclude that doing competition in young age is injurious for the brain, such as wreck children’s brain and they can be in a forced. Unfortunately, they are wrong about it. Certainly, there are worsts in the competition because they do it through wrong way. I do believe that competition will bring positive effects for children’s brain, as long as it is started in right introduction, doing it in under the supervision, and take it slowly in the process.
First, doing competition for children has to be started in right introduction. Children might not know about what competition is. To start it, parents should know how to introduce competition in right way to children, so they will not be surprise when facing it. Therefore, Nicole Crawford, a mother who is done doing competition for her two daughters, gives three right ways to introduce competition for children in www.breakingmuscle.com. The first way is parents should know what their children’s passion, because children will compete using their passion. Their passion is the way where they use to compete not others. As an example, a boy likes mathematics, he will learn more about it and try to compete with his friends to show who the best in math is. It is impossible, he does like mathematics and compete in science. They second way is trying to build children’s self-confident to compete. Parents have to make their children believe and proud about their passion. It is simply when parents say a positive thing about their passion, such as “oh you are so smart in memorizing vocabulary”, do not say anything that makes them down. The last way is parents give a space for children to follow their passion. Based on my experience, when I was about ten years old, I always followed badminton competitions. At the time, my parents did not force me to join any competition. They gave me the space to do what I like. So, children will not be shock when doing competition if it is done in three right introductions.
Second, competition in a young age has to be done in under supervision. Definitely, parents are the best supervision when their children do competition. After parents introduced competition for their children, parents can let their children to do competition. In this case, children are free to compete based on what they like, however parents have to watch them. Parent’s work is giving children advices or affording a good direction when they do the competition. Because when doing competition, sometimes children will do it over, and it can make disadvantage for themselves. For example, when children really do not want to be a loser in a competition, he or she could do bad thing such as cheating other’s work. Probably, that is one of the reasons some parents do not want to apply competition for their children. Actually, competition can go on and avoid bad affects, as long as parents become good supervision who still watch them carefully. Thus, it supposed to be done in under supervision.
Then, when competition is done in under supervision, it is also applied slowly in the process. Parents can still watch their children about what they do when doing competition. However, parents must control it slowly, or do not force their children to do it faster to get a good result. As an example, we can look from Nicole Crawford, she gives two steps for taking competition slowly in the same website. First step where parents provide opportunities for their children as close as the real competition, such as parents help them to prepare children’s stuff likes clothes. Second step is parents do not force children to have too much competitions or having a tight schedule competition. For the reasons, make sure that parents take competition slowly for their children.
Last, based on explanations above that children will be fine when doing competition. Because it is done in three right introduction, parents still watch them as a good supervision, and parents do not force their children to follow many competitions. Therefore, parents do not have to worry to apply it for their children. If parents could introduce it in right way, still watch them children when doing it, and keep it slowly, I am one hundred percent think that competition will be going well and never break children’s brain. Above all, do not forget when doing competition, showing your love for your children, because it is the power for your children.
