The Importance of Losing

This spring Sena wrote a play for a local children's play-writing competition. I was so proud of her for working hard  and trying something new. And I am certain that if she had won that competition, I would have been very proud of her. But she didn't win, and as it turns out, I think I'm even more proud of her.
That kid asked me everyday for weeks how many more days until May 30th, the day they would announce the winner. She was so excited and nervous and anxious.
And on the afternoon of May 30th, when I told her that she didn't win, she took the loss like a true champion. Disappointment was written all over her sweet, little face. Tears gathered behind her big, brown eyes, but she smiled and said, "That's fine, but I still want to do my play."
She decided to cast my cousins and two of the neighbors and to perform the play in front of friends and family in the yard.
It was absolutely adorable, and it made my mama's heart proud.

But what I'm most proud of is that my girl was so willing to try, to put herself out there, to risk failure. And she did not let that failure let her down, or dampen her spirit. In the end, I think not winning was more beneficial than winning ever could have been. It's important to learn how to lose, and to learn how to get up from that lose and keep going.

Her play was wonderfully received, although she did inform me that my difficulty memorizing lines means I will not be cast in future performances. They closed the play with a song the three girls wrote entitled "Love is Amazing." My eight year-old is writing love songs; how did this happen?

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