We live in a world where we are subconsciously competing in all things — in fact it is a natural part of evolution. Through time, all organisms have had to compete for access to resources, be it food, shelter or even mating partners.

If history is any marker, having a competitive spirit is as necessary for a child as it is innate. “It is about the child’s mental wellbeing. If we can instil resilience in the children, that would naturally allow them to be competitive and not shy away from challenges,” says June Sen.

“A competitive spirit certainly makes a child push himself or herself more, be better at whatever it is and that in turn means more effort, time, practise in pursuit of excellence,” agrees Vidya. “The same is true when a child is motivated to learn, when there is a purpose and an intrinsic interest in a particular topic.”

Sadly, we can get caught up in the rush of things and sometimes even project our own disappointments and try to live vicariously through our children.“Most of us have grown up with this culture of ‘pass or fail’ which we then tend to pass on to our children,” says Vidya, from personal experience.

The first call in doing that is to “foster the strength of character in our children to see failures as just a part of the learning experience, not something that define us”, says June Sen.

It is important for children to have a good role model as it encourages good sportsmanship in them, adds Vidya. It is also important to teach them to celebrate small victories — to teach them that the grand prize is not the be all end all  of things. This will help expand their minds, look back at their mistakes without fear or judgement and learn from them.

“Healthy competition has its uses, it is necessary even, be it in academics or sport, it builds stamina, endurance and resilience. But, when competition and winning become a measure of success, then the focus shifts to the end result and not the process. Encouraging the attitude that the enjoyment of an activity, the process involved, the interactions along the way etc are far more important than the end result,” she says.

June Sen relates how MindChamps imbues that concept on young minds — to never shy away from a challenge, but to remember to respect those around oneself while doing so. “Competition should be embraced but not at the cost to your moral centre,” she adds.

In today’s world, where children consume information from different sources, a reality show on television is not the only point of concern. It becomes all the more important for parents to self reflect, revisit their own goals, and that of their children at regular intervals adds Vidya. “For parents and children alike, the idea of ‘not there yet’ is a good one to embrace, paving the way for self-improvement in a non-threatening and positive manner.

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