As children, when we understand the concept of winning, it gets kinda addictive and we love to win everything. Unfortunately, when they are unable to taste victory, some kids might throw a fit, and I think Dudley from Harry Potter falls in this category as he was mollycoddled a lot.
The original poster (OP) also came across his girlfriend’s 12-year-old brother, whom he mollycoddled by letting him win every game. Well, the kid bad-mouthed the poster in front of his friends, so he didn’t let him win as usual, which angered the little fellow!
More info: Reddit
Mollycoddling kids is not always the right way to go as they occasionally also need to be humbled
Image credits: vgstockstudio / Freepik (not the actual photo)
Whenever the poster played any competitive games with his girlfriend's brother, he always let him win
Image credits: DistributionCheap969
Image credits: ruslan-malysh / Freepik (not the actual photo)
One day, he overheard the kid telling his friends that the poster always lost so he must be mentally challenged and his sister was stupid to date him
Image credits: DistributionCheap969
Image credits: Curated Lifestyle / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
The poster asked the kid for a game and did not let him win as usual, so his friends ended up laughing at the child, which made him cry and storm off
Image credits: DistributionCheap969
However, the poster's girlfriend is angry about it as she feels that he is just a kid and the poster should have let him win
Today, we will dive into the life of Reddit user DistributionCheap969, who is always friendly with his girlfriend’s 12-year-old brother and often plays games with him. He tells us that he always lets the kid win whenever they play any competitive games, but the little fellow is unaware of this.
One day, when the poster was at his girlfriend’s house, he overheard the kid telling his friends how bad OP was at games as he always lost, so he must be mentally disabled. Well, the poster here mentions that the kid used some nasty words that he didn’t add to the story.
The little guy even went on to say that his sister must be stupid to date someone like him. Naturally, mean kids being mean kids, his friends burst into laughter, and this really hurt OP as he always tried to maintain a friendly relationship with the child.
Well, he decided to prove a point to the kid and asked him to play Call of Duty. His friends started sniggering, expecting to see OP lose. However, our guy purposely didn’t go easy on him, and seeing how he was close to losing, the kid's friends were laughing at him.
The 12-year-old was on the verge of tears and stormed off to his room, and while OP felt that he had proved his point, he had to face his girlfriend’s fury. She was angry that he did not let her brother win as usual, and when OP tried to explain what the kid had said about him, as well as her, she just said that he was a kid and the poster should’ve let things go.
Probably questioning whether he did the right thing or not, OP vented online and sought advice, and as usual, Redditors did not disappoint.
Image credits: Blake Cheek / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
Folks online instantly backed up the poster and said that it was high time the kid learned a lesson about being humble. They said that his sister mollycoddling him was not a healthy option and he also needed to know that always winning is not something that’s actually true in life.
A study has found that rates of anxiety disorders and depression are rising rapidly among teenagers. The Guardian believes that this is because of parents mollycoddling their kids and treating them as if they are fragile.
The article stated that "This is depriving their children’s immature immune systems of the learning experiences those systems need to develop their maximum protective capacity. If we overprotect kids and keep them 'safe' from unpleasant social situations and negative emotions, we deprive them of the challenges and opportunities for skill-building they need to grow strong."
The article also stressed that such children are likely to suffer more when exposed later to other unpleasant but ordinary life events, such as teasing and social exclusion.
Research also suggests that if you always let children win, you are giving them the illusion that they cannot be defeated, which might destabilize them if they lose when playing against someone else.
Well, it looks like OP did the right thing after all, even if it landed him in trouble with his girlfriend. Many people also commented that the kid crying after losing and then storming off was an extreme reaction and he really needed the lesson that the poster taught him.
What are your thoughts about the story? Let us know in the comments below!
In an instant, folks sided with the poster and claimed that the kid needed to be taught a lesson and not be mollycoddled
