challenge vs competition

I've been thinking recently about how best to instill in the boys how to have pride in their work-- to gain satisfaction in a goal accomplished, a job well done. So much of the pride people feel in their accomplishments is not necessarily in the accomplishment itself, but in how it measured up to everyone else around them. I'm constantly trying to find ways to drive home to the boys the importance of taking pride in their work and taking satisfaction in a job they did really well.
Did I write last week about how the boys went outside and very spontaneously and secretly decided to rake up the leaves in the back yard? It was very cute. They were extremely proud of themselves, and rightfully so. It was a good moment for them, but I need to find more opportunities to teach them these concepts.
We had a family home evening tonight about not being afraid of hard work, and not letting your feelings get in the way of doing the right thing (i.e. not letting the feeling of boredom get in the way of finishing your math assignment! LOL).
Mosey said, "One thing that made it more fun to rake the leaves was pretending to fight invisible guys!" Maybe I'll use that as a tactic next time I'm tackling a load of laundry. Think it'll work? :-)
So part of the trick with the boys is to make a less pleasant task as fun as possible so that they can get to completion and then experience those feelings of satisfaction.
The boys started a gymnastics class last week. Today was their 2nd class. I'd taken them to a couple of other trial classes, but had been disappointed in the gym and coaches, and the boys had been less than enthusiastic. But soccer is over and I wanted them to be in another sport, specifically one with a male coach because I am always looking for opportunities for my boys to have male mentors. So I found out about this homeschool gymnastics class and took them last week for a trial class. I was very happy with the gym and with the coaches, and the boys seemed to have a good time and were happy to go back today.
We're not a very sports-oriented family, but I do think that sports can play a really valuable role in developing character in that it provides a natural (and hopefully fun) way to work through difficulty to achieve a goal.
(On a side note, it is a little frustrating watching the boys out there and seeing them having trouble with one thing or another and knowing that I could so easily teach them how to do it if I could only show them myself. Hmph.)
I really loved gymnastics when I was a kid, even though I never was that great at it. That's something I really hope to be able to teach the boys-- to love something even though it is very hard and you're not that great! I know that the fact that it was hard for me and I wasn't naturally that gifted were actually the very reasons (or at least 2 of them) why I liked gymnastics so much-- it was a challenge and the triumphs were therefore all the sweeter. I hope the boys will be able to experience some of that in the sports that they try.
It's tricky teaching kids the joy of conquering a challenge. They have to be willing to stick with it even when it's not very fun in order to get the payoff at the end. Hopefully with enough experience they'll learn to take the long view.
I tried to tie in their feelings of pride (the good kind, right?) in raking all those leaves, with the feelings of pride they will have as they accomplish longer term goals. I hope they got a little of it. One of the downsides to homeschooling is that they don't get the payoff of getting the highest grade in the class, or beating their friend on the mad-minute math sheet, or any of the other countless small competitive triumphs that can be experienced in a classroom setting. Teaching the boys to be proud of their work for itself, and not being proud of their work in comparison with someone else's isn't easy. It's probably healthier, though.
Anyway, there are some random musings for a Monday night.