Bowling: Our Family Date Night

I must say that Luk usually comes up with some pretty good ideas. We were planning on just taking the boys out to eat, but then Luk suggested a great little plan... bowling. I had asked him where he wanted to eat dinner. He had suggested "Taco Bell," however I explained to him that he doesn't usually eat well there. So, he said, "how about that bowling place and then you can teach me how to bowl?" GREAT IDEA!
The Hubs used to play in a bowling league growing up, and we just have never really thought about taking Luk. This may have to turn into a more regular event because we had a blast. Luk really enjoyed himself and so did we.
It was wonderful watching Luk's reactions to the pins falling, and his team work skills. If I didn't do to great, he would give me a high-five and say, "It's okay because you did good the first time." It was  cute to see him cheer us on. I think the best part was that he didn't get upset if he didn't hit too many pins (the bumper guard was up). He is usually all about winning, but with bowling he just had fun. This has been something I have worked on with him. It is not about winning, but that he has fun while he plays, and he did just that. Here are a few photos:

Mommy Thoughts: Sports has always been a big thing growing up in my family. If it wasn't for hospitals, I am pretty sure that I would have born on a Baseball field. My dad umpired, coached, and my brothers played all year round. Needless to say, this turned into very competitive off-spring. You can't play a board game without usually the two brothers getting competitive. It took a bad experience in my life to realize that sports and being competitive just aren't THAT important.
Luk is naturally competitive, and it has been a challenge teaching him that sports are for fun not to get upset over. As the years go on, I know that this will continue to be a challenge as we are immersed in a town that puts sports in front of God. The priorities of sports is almost (if not) idolatry.
So, seeing Luk just have fun was refreshing. Rules that we have at home on recreation/sports: if Luk gets upset about losing or not doing good, we pull him away from the situation and talk about why he is upset. If he can't use self-control and continue to have fun, then he doesn't continue. Luk gets this way many times when he plays video game, and we have to take it away.

How do you teach your child to not be overly competitive in recreation?