Why My Kids Don’t Care About Their Medals — A Parent’s Honest Realization

This may come as a shock, but we stopped displaying our kids’ medals. I know, I know—what kind of parent would do such a thing? For the longest time, I felt the need to showcase every shiny piece of achievement my kids earned, but the reality is, they don’t really care about those physical tokens of success. They care for the moment—the joy of training, setting goals, and experiencing the thrill of accomplishment.

So often, I find medals stuffed under car seats, buried at the bottom of backpacks, tossed on the floor, or mixed in with the dirty laundry. Even when I display them proudly, the kids usually take them down again and turn them into props for imaginative play.

At first glance, it might seem as though they are ungrateful or indifferent, but that isn’t the case at all. They are incredibly proud of what they’ve accomplished. The difference is that, to them, the medal itself is simply an object. The real value lies in the experience, the hard work, and the achievement it represents—not in the physical item.

It’s definitely a strange transition to takedown my children’s awards, and honestly, it fills me with a bit of guilt. As parents, we’re wired to feel proud and want to show off our children's achievements at every turn. But when I stumbled upon Layla’s first medal tucked under the couch—a little silver puzzle piece that once meant the world to her—I realized that these medals were simply objects. Layla had been so excited to earn it, yet here it was, forgotten and neglected. When I asked her why it had found its way off the display, she shrugged her shoulders and went back to playing. My heart broke a little, but what could I do? I put it back on display, only to find it in her toy box days later. It’s safe to say I finally tucked that sweet memory into her memorabilia box in our storage loft. She won’t miss it.

Then there was Lucy. After a peculiar situation with an organization that didn’t provide the belts they promised, I asked her, “If you don’t receive your belt, will you be upset?” Her response surprised me: “No. I don’t really care about the belt. I just want to be the best.” That one sentence rattled around in my head for days. If winning isn't about the belt for her, why are we so focused on displaying trinkets that weigh us down?

I realized then that if my kids don’t care about displaying their medals now, they certainly won’t care when they grow up. The clutter of physical achievements can feel overwhelming at times, and I began to question why I cared so much about the display. Would my kids think I’m less proud of them if I didn’t showcase their awards? Probably not.

It’s become clear to me that for our family dynamic, simplicity works best. Each family has its way of celebrating achievements, and if displaying your children's medals brings you joy, go for it! Celebrate all the wonderful things your kids have accomplished—after all, pride is not tied to a physical object.

In the end, it’s the experiences, the lessons learned, and the memories that truly count. So as we continue this journey, I’m embracing the idea that what matters most isn’t a collection of medals but the cherished moments we create together.