Winning Isn't Everything

Molly entered a speech contest.  She had to write a 4 minute speech on the topic "If I were leader of the free world, the first thing I would change would be..." She worked really hard on this speech for weeks, staying after school and working with her teachers.  Wednesday was the contest, and it was so entertaining.   The topics were heavy for 6, 7, and 8th graders.  The environment.  Education. Health care reform. The war in Iraq/Afghanistan.  Discrimination against homosexuals.  And my own daughter's: animal cruelty on large farms.  Middle schoolers have an interesting take on these topics.  Most are idealistic, without a grip on the facts or a fully developed ability to think abstractly.  But they were earnest and thoughtful and I found the whole thing very enjoyable.  I loved hearing their thoughts, and wondered if they would hold onto this passion into their adulthood.

No, Molly did not win.  She did a respectable job, and I am really proud of her. Molly is not a naturally gifted public speaker, but she certainly did not make a fool of herself, and faced down a fear grown people rank next to fears of death.  She held her audience's attention. Her speech writing ability, however, is far beyond her years.  Her speech was full of claims backed up by cited facts and gripping details. It flowed well, it was organized, and it concluded logically.  She had an "oh well, I didn't win, but I don't think I deserved to" outlook.  She seamlessly transitioned back to giggling in her room on the phone with her friends with "her" Ipad she routinely swipes from her father playing her Pandora station.

 I hope my girls know it is worthwhile to pursue things they aren't guaranteed to win. Some of life's most productive learning takes place in not winning. And sometimes, I'm even more proud of the way they handle not winning.