A Little Friendly Competition
My brother and I have had a sibling rivalry for what feels like our entire lives. When we were little, it was everything from being the first one home on a bike ride to beating the other in Mario Kart. As we’ve grown older it’s...honestly stayed the same. We’ll still do stupid little competitions without even thinking about it. That’s just the way that children, and I suppose adolescents, act together.
Now, sometimes when my brother and I would play each other in something, tempers would run high. I would beat him or he would beat me, and one of us would get mad at the other. That often resulted in arguing and complaining to my mom. But sometimes it was a little worse. I remember one time my brother beat me in 1-on-1 basketball and was talking trash afterward. I got tired of hearing it and pinned him against the wall. Then my mom told us to knock it off. A few minutes later, he continued talking smack, and I pushed him into the couch, where he then lay holding his arm in pain. I immediately regretted my decision and the look on my mom’s face was one I would never forget. She later told me that she came real close to smacking me (and probably should have honestly).
Competition is great for us. It teaches us perseverance, resilience, and tenacity. It also teaches us how to win and lose with grace. We need to keep this in mind whenever we challenge our siblings or our friends to a competition. Someone has to be the winner and the other has to be the loser. We need to accept the results and move on. One of the worst things we can do is be a sore winner or loser. This only leads to problems that can escalate quickly and can ruin relationships.
Through all the competitions that you take part in with people you’re close to, remember to avoid letting the results of some game get in the way of your relationship. Your friendship should not crumble just from an argument that spawned from competition. Instead, grow from it. If you lose, work to get better. If you win, also work to get better. It may sound simple and something you learned when you were young, but even today grown adults will butt heads over a little contest. Don’t act childish, take the results and move on.
Again, there’s nothing wrong with making bets and competition against friends and family. It can actually be quite beneficial to your relationship with one another. Just keep it lighthearted and don't let it get in the way of your relationship. Always make sure to keep things as a friendly little competition.
Challenges/Points:
Sibling/family rivalries are a part of life and can be beneficial to a relationship.
Don’t let a competition get out of hand.
Accept the outcome, whether you win or lose.
Questions:
Do you like competing against friends and family? Why or why not?
Are there any decisions you made in the heat of competition that you regret now? What made you do those things?
How do you handle losing? Is your way healthy?
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