Trophy Rant

What is the deal with trophies for kids' sport?

When I was a child, I got 2 trophies which sat on my shelf and collected dust. 2 is a modest haul and I was proud of them. One was for winning the 9/5s netball grand final and one for getting 100 points at tennis lessons (it took about 2 years of lessons). I did not feel ripped off or trophy poor.

Now, my children are awarded a trophy for every season of sport they participate in, some seasons they get 2 or 3! They build up in the corner of their rooms/window sills/shelves and get broken pretty quickly. (please note my kids are not sporting heroes, all the kids get these trophies)

Not only that, I have to fundraise/donate in order to buy these glorified pieces of plastic. I am given a box of fundraising chocolates which I then proceed to forget to sell, and end up eating guiltily in front of the TV. Then I fork out the fifty-ish dollars to buy the box. Sometimes I resolve to be strong, and donate the $24 profit each box makes.

I resent buying trophies that I don't particularly want my children to have.

I don't want to ban trophies, per se. I just want to rationalise their use. I just want the winner to get one!

I can't help thinking that we are just rewarding mediocrity, and buying our kids something we would want if we were them. I actually don't think they want endless trophies. I think they want their trophies to be special.

I'll get down off the box now.