School sports days

[happycat]

i went to my childrens school sports day yesterday and sat behind a parent that was jumping up and down and screaming at her kids "come on, come on".What do you all think about this sort of thing I talked to a friend about this today she doe's it to her kids too.I feel it's putting enormous pressure on you child and could be embarrising for them.She made me feel like I didn't support my children as much as her and hers.This is not the case I just want them to do their best and don't want them to feel like they are a dissapointment to me if they fail.She implied if I don't make my kids compedative they will end up losers What do you all think is the best thing to do at these things

well i agree with you happycat.our children have to learn they cannot excel/win at everything but for instance if a child is not good at maths ,english etc its not highlighted in such away as it is with sports,a child will be helped,encouraged etc but its completely different with physical activity,i dont get it?you dont make a child enjoy school lessons by making them feel rubbish,so why,if we are so concerned about the lack of exercise our kids do would we want to put so many of them off sports?

yoko, I agree absolutely, nobody jumps up and down and cheers when a child does the best piece of work in class. happycat, agree with you too, obviously!

At my kids' school's infants sports they wear a cardboard badge and get stickers to put on it, but only if they come 1st-4th, and it always breaks my heart to see them running hopefully up to the teacher with the stickers - because they don't know where they finished - and then turn away looking crestfallen. I don't understand why they can't all have a sticker - different colours or something - they like stickers!!!

And at the junior sports they get house points - 4 for 1st down to 1 for 4th and then nothing - and again I think they should all get a point for the effort they put in. The oldest ones have to run 800m, twice round the local cricket field where they hold the sports, and one year the boy who came in last was about 5 minutes behind the others and really struggled, but he did try and he did finish and I thought that should have been rewarded.

I have suggested to school that points be doubled, from 8 down to 1, but it's hard enough to administer the first 4 places what with dead heats and all, so maybe all the "losers" should have half a point each or something. I must try again!