The phones lit up today over the concept of “participation trophies”.    Whitney Houston reminds that the children are our future so what kind of future are we preparing for with how we raise them.

Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison has renewed the debate over whether we're coddling our children when he posted a photo on Instagram, declaring he was taking away his children's participation trophies, along with an explanation.

Harrison knows a thing or two about not simply being handed anything. As an undrafted player, he had to fight and earn his way into the NFL.

Harrison is not alone in his thinking. Jim Vance, an anchor with NBC in Washington, D.C., called giving a participation trophy "child abuse":

Still, there's a school of thought that says our youngest kids deserve to be recognized simply for trying. The idea is that these are kids and the focus should be on giving it their all and having fun.  That makes sense but the distinction needs to be made between team participation and an award for excellence in accomplishment.

Life isn't fair, not everybody wins. Our country is great when it gives everyone an equal opportunity to try but we compromise all that greatness when we try to guarantee equal outcome.

So, where do you stand on this issue? Are participation trophies a bad idea or are they harmless ways to congratulate kids on giving a solid effort?

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