Let's face it...we are living in a time where every parent thinks their kid deserves to win a trophy or make the team regardless of if they ever put in the time and effort.
As a parent who has a child who works her tail off to better herself and pushes herself to advance and improve, parents the like above mentioned make me angry.
Oh sure, there are "supposed" to be skill requirements, but in reality, the enforcement of those requirements are purely up to the people in charge. When you require only certain people to meet those requirements and not others, you "cheapen" the efforts of those kids who practice their tails off at home or elsewhere.
And don't think for a second these kids don't see what is going on!
Those kids whose efforts are cheapened end up disappointed, let down, and wary of the integrity of the people in charge. Those kids who get what they want regardless of the effort they put in end up growing up thinking everything is owed to them and they deserve it simply for being on the earth.
There is an entire generation of twenty-something loafers out there who think they deserve exactly what the hard-working people get and its only getting worse with each new generation.
*Enter the younger version of Bernie Sanders*
I get it...I get that we want our kids to have fun and be included. Sure, every child needs to be acknowledged for trying out and for whatever effort they put in with a participation award or participation ribbon, but to give every child a gold star or a trophy or a spot on the team simply for showing up? That's just sad...
So, go ahead, keep your gold stars, just don't ask me where I'd like you to stick them.
