How Can I Make My Son Feel Better After He Lost His Football Game?

[Indysoda]

My 13 year old son is devastated after losing the city championship. Nothing I do seems to help.

[1ozzy]

Buy him some Lego?

[Boto]

He’ll have to get used to disappointments in life.

[johnk]

Pick out the positives of the match and look to the future

[bobbinwales]

Ask him who won it 1 and 2 years ago.. if he don't know then say noone will remember this years soon so just try to go fir it again next yeaR

[saintpeter48]

In any sport there must be losers, otherwise there can be no winners, try to reassure him that like him some of the worlds finest ever players have lost major finals, Champions Leagues, World Cup finals, not everyone can be winners, assure him that this will make him stronger the next time he is in a final, he'll be better for it.

[Sqad]

That is the normal reaction of a true competitor , he is a winner in the making.

Leave him well alone.

[pimplyteen]

If you take part in such your never a loser you are just striving to be better.

[Old_Geezer]

Leave him be. He'll learn to cope & accept.

[Maydup]

There is nothing you can do except to understand how he feels and try not to make it better. Otherwise you risk devaluing his competitiveness or worse still, devaluing his emotions. He’ll get there just be strong.

[calmck]

Was he the one responsible for losing the game? Football is a team sport and while one player might score a goal and the goalie might or might not save a goal it is still a team sport. Just tell him that so long as he does his best it is how the team play as a whole that counts