Trophies, Kids and Father's Day

As I was driving home from computer class today, my thoughts wandered to trophies.  You know, the things that kids get when they take part in a sport, or win some sort of a contest, like a spelling bee.  I will be packing up my kids' stuff this summer as we move, and I wonder where I will store all of their trophies.  Paul once received a trophy after playing a sport at a local private high school.  I remember it because it had a totally blank name plate.  -no writing at all on this trophy-  We joked about it at the time, making up phrases to place on its bare surface.  I think trophies are rather meaningless. I guess they are a source of pride for someone, but really, what about being happy with the intangibles in life instead?  I find that it is the intangibles that you will remember when you are alone-not the inscription on a trophy- unless it is blank, making its significance humorously intangible.

I stop with this final thought.  I can say this because I am both a parent and a teacher, and I really, really care about kids.   I am also feeling kind of old and cranky, and often feel like screaming this to many parents of my students.    

Your kids are not trophies.  Their purpose in life is not to make you feel superior to other parents.   

I firmly believe that parents who treat their kids like trophies are destroying their kids.  I don't care if the kid ends up going to Cal, Princeton, or the moon.  It is wrong... enough said- 

except that Sadie agrees with me, and she is always right.