Life is a Competitive Sport

At least to my 4 year old...I have discovered that to get Joshua to do anything, all I have to do is make a contest out of it.

When we leave home, he has to race me from the house to the car. In the car, he has to buckle up before I can back up the drive. When meeting someone somewhere, he is full of "Are we going to beat so-and-so there?" "Is so-and-so there yet?" "Are we going to get home before so-and-so does?" To get Joshua to eat something, I just have to bet him that he can't and he has to show me that he can. He is always asking if so-and-so can run as fast as he can, if so-and-so is stronger than he is, can so-and-so jump as high as he can, etc.

And life is good until he loses...This week, I watched a video of his friend Caitlin riding her bike without training wheels. I was super excited for her...Joshua watched, cried, ran into his room and got in bed and cried (he has never gotten into bed to cry before) because he couldn't ride without training wheels. He has said he wants to practice more so that he can ride without his training wheels like Caitlin. He did feel better once he learned that none of his other friends can ride without them.

I hope the competitive spirit stays with him, within limits. I would like him to be competitive enough in sports so that he will enjoy playing them. I would like him to be competitive enough in school so that he will be a good student. I would like for him to be competitive enough in life so that he will have a bright, promising future.