I was taught at a very young age, that if I didn't like something, figure out a way to change it, or shut up and take it. I was loved, but not coddled. I was given guidance, but taught to think for myself. Which meant to decide if I was happy with my situation.
Guess what, when you get out in the real world, where everything is essentially a competition, you need these basic lessons to be successful. You compete everyday in life. You compete with others for jobs and promotions, you compete with yourself for motivation and to achieve a healthy lifestyle. You compete with others to woo a mate. And in every other aspect of life, to one extent or another, you are in a competition.
Essential to competing and winning is suffering loss. Whether it be losing a football game when you are five years old, losing out on that special mate, or maybe even losing your job because you didn't meet performance expectations. Each of these events molds you, and shapes you as a person. Remove loss from a person's life, and they have no motivation to compete. Protect them from suffering loss, and sentence them to a life of not knowing the satisfaction of achieving, and winning.
I thank God for giving my parents the wisdom to know that I needed to learn how to lose, as well as to learn how to compete and win.