Nix,

There are no right answers, no magic remedies, and no foolproof solutions. Sorry, there just aren't. Kids are all unique and react differently in different situations. I have said it on this forum before, wrestling is just plain brutal. We are asking very young kids to deal with disappointment, pain, defeat, and sometimes even winning, elation and success, in an grown up manner.

Many of our kids go through phases in their years of wrestling, and not all of them are pleasing to us. When my boy was six, he threw his headgear at his mom on one occasion and slapped the video camera out of her hands on another after losing matches. Again, he was six! Then, we went through a couple of hard years (9-10 yrs old) where he was so physically and/or mentally bent out of shape after a match that he would completely melt down and almost have to be carried off the mat (thank heaven those days are mostly behind us). The last two years he has started to understand that you just don't win all the time and you can still wrestle a quality match against a superior opponent without being emotionally crushed by the end result. Don't get me wrong, he still has his moments.

The most glaring example I can think of was a very good wrestler (in fact he ended up winning State in U10) last year that I saw on two occasions crying during matches that he was winning 8-0 and 10-0 during Subs or Districts. Why was this kid crying when he was so good and dominating his opponents? I don't have any idea, but he was.

Sorry I haven't been able to help you much. I really don't know. I tell my son (all of them) that I love them every time I get the chance. I figure that is good for something. Good luck with your son.