Children differ a great deal in their reactions to a loss. Some may be barely affected or may forget the loss almost immediately. Others will be virtually devastated and may be low-spirited for days. Avoid the temptation to deny or distort what the child is feeling. If your daughter has struck out three times and made an error that lost the game, she does not want to hear, "You did great." She knows she didn't, and your attempts to comfort her may well come through as a lack of understanding about how she feels. Likewise, it is not very helpful to tell a child that "it doesn't matter." The fact is that at that moment it does matter a great deal!

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