Put Your Big Boy Boxers On And Man Up!!!

I'm sure that most of you have heard or seen that saying, "Put on your big girl panties and deal with it"!  I have another take on that same saying..."Put your big boy boxers on and man up"!  What was I thinking and how did I come up with that little saying of my own?...The situation with the democratic representatives from Wisconsin.

OK, OK...don't think I'm going to go all "political" on you because that is not what this is about.  Instead, it is about the "responsibility" issue and  winning and losing.  You see, I am and have always had very strong opinions concerning these issues and have attempted to instill these same values within my children.

As my children were growing up, there were many times that they decided to participate in activities where there would be a clear winner and loser.  I always encouraged them to enter these contests knowing that they could not always be the winner.  That was not to say that I set them up to be the loser, but there is a fine art to being a classy winner and loser.  One should set their goal, try their best and then learn to live with the outcome in a graceful manner.  Were my children always winners?  Absolutely NOT.  OK, so you would like examples?  There were times when they did not make the All-Star Baseball Team or the high school baseball team.  Sometimes they ran for a class officer position that they were not elected to or were not nominated as a class favorite that they thought they should have been nominated for.  David did not get into medical school the first year he applied and had to reapply again the next year.  Does accepting losses gracefully and in a classy manner mean that one gives up or quits altogether?  Absolutely NOT.  It merely means that you move on and go to "Plan B".  This bring me to the reason WHY the situation with the Wisconsin democratic representatives disturbed me so. 

When I heard on the news that those representatives had all left their state and were hiding out in Chicago, the first thought that entered my mind was..."If MY son was one of those guys, I would make my way to Chicago...located him...and tear his behind up!"  OK...I know that this may sound a little unreasonable to some of you, but as a mama, I feel that it is my "duty" to be my childrens' moral and ethical compasses.  Apparently, these guys thought it was OK to run away from the problem and their responsibility.  To ME, they appeared to be "poor losers".  Had no one taught them about the "fine art of losing"?  As the days went on and they continued to refuse to return to their jobs, I began to ponder the situation more.  And that is when I thought...you know, someone just needs to tell them to "Put Your Big Boy Boxers On And Man Up!!!"  After all, do you respect them more for what they did?  Did they appear to be courageous to you? Did it truly accomplish ANYTHING?  Would you want your daddy, husband or son to imitate them?  Think about those things and what garners respect from others...the courage to accept responsibility and be a graceful loser;  basically "Putting On Your Big Boy Boxers and Manning Up!"