Argentina Lost the Final: How to Support Children When Dreams End in Disappointment

The dream is over. After an unforgettable World Cup, where Lionel Messi once again proved decisive and the national team reignited the hopes of an entire nation until the very last match, Argentina fell in the final. This left a scene repeated in thousands of homes: children crying in front of the television, bewildered because this time the outcome was not a happy one. How can we explain to them that, even after a great championship, it isn't always enough to win? How can we help them navigate frustration without minimizing their feelings?

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We all agree that we want our team to win. That result is overvalued, and the group's intensity generates an increase in our own intensity.

Psychologists Marisa Russomando, a specialist in child-rearing and family, and Maritchu Seitún, a reference in child-rearing, agree that the first step is not to offer consoling phrases or downplay the defeat, but to accompany their emotions. They recommend validating anger, sadness, and tears before attempting to highlight the positive side of the experience. Only then, they explain, will it be possible to help children understand that losing is also part of sports, put the extraordinary journey of "La Scaloneta" into perspective, and transform that frustration into a life lesson.

The intensity with which many children experience a national team's defeat has an explanation. For Russomando, the World Cup transcends sports because it mobilizes the entire social environment. "We all agree that we want our team to win. That result is overvalued, and the group's intensity generates an increase in our own intensity," she details. Losing is already difficult for most children in any context, but a defeat of the Albiceleste team can be experienced with even greater intensity. Winning is often associated with adult recognition and approval, while losing generates an "emotional slump" that tests resources still under development. "Not getting angry, not taking offense, or not getting distressed is a lifelong learning process. In fact, there are adults who still haven't learned," she states.

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Not getting angry, not taking offense, or not getting distressed is a lifelong learning process. In fact, there are adults who still haven't learned.

This is compounded, she says, by a characteristic of childhood: the need to feel that the world is predictable. This search for control explains why children enjoy routines or hearing the same story over and over. In a soccer match, however, nothing depends on them. "There's something that happened that wasn't foreseen, that wasn't anticipated. They don't have the knowledge to process it, and often adults don't help," she maintains. Therefore, Russomando believes parents' reactions are crucial. "Children don't want to lose and don't know how to lose, but depending on how parents accompany them through that situation, it will be easier to get through or it will become a moment of great distress," she warns. Instead of trying to distract them or quickly convince them that "nothing happened," she proposes recognizing sadness as a valid emotion. Even adults can admit their own feelings.

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Children don't want to lose and don't know how to lose, but depending on how parents accompany them through that situation, it will be easier to get through or it will become a moment of great distress.