What have I created?

Apparently our oldest son takes after his parents and has become a "right-fighter". That may sound like a good thing, but it's not! He believes that he is always right and will argue any point to try to retain his status as "right". This has caused some introspection for me, as I evaluate how he got this way. It could be genetic, but it is probably one of those things he"caught" by observing.

Going along with that, he is also pretty competitive. We have caught him cheating at board games, and we have had many discussions about being a good sport. Apparently the discussions have helped, because the cheating has diminished and he does not throw tantrums when he loses (at least - unless he's really tired).

He is also being a good sport at school, which I was glad to hear. He came home the other day telling me that he played Around the World (with math flash cards). He first told me that one of his friends beat him, but then he told me that he went around the world twice (before he got beat). His teacher brought this up the next day, because apparently he was getting pretty worked up about the game. While he was waiting for the card he was doing breathing exercises that the teachers had taught them. He was "smelling the flowers" (breathing in through the nose) and "blowing out the bubbles" (out through the mouth). The teachers got a kick out of this and shared it with me. I wanted to make sure he was a good sport when he lost and I was assured that he was. I remember playing Around the World in 3rd grade, and the adrenaline rush that I would get from it. So, he takes after me in this respect, too. He did go around the world twice, and his friend that beat him did, too, so they basically tied. He must get that from me, too. ;)