“Can you shed some light on the effects of participation trophies on kids?”

The idea of giving participation trophies has always been a topic of debate since it was first introduced. Some think these trophies help validate kids for simply trying, while others believe it teaches kids the wrong lessons about reward and hard work. This week’s Tips on Teens parenting question asks about more insight into this hot topic. Here it is:

“I coach my 9 year old twin daughters in little league. They are very good and it’s important to me that they understand that hard work leads to success. I have a problem with participation trophies. I think that it’s undermining kids’ ability to connect hard work with success because now everyone wants a pat on the back for every little thing they do. I think if you don’t win the championship then you don’t get a trophy. Maybe that will make kids work harder next season to achieve their goals. I’ve brought this up with the little league leadership and it fell on deaf ears. Tryouts are coming up and I want my girls to play to win. At the end of the season, if they have not earned first place, I want them to not accept their