We are the masters of baiting

Losing is hard. And losing graciously isn’t necessarily an innate skill children are born with; it’s something they learn from adults.

Kids certainly seem to be learning the message that what matters most in life is coming out on top.

In one 2014 survey, more than 80% of kids said their parents care more about how they perform and achieve at something than how caring they are — even though their parents said they didn’t actually feel that way.

The good news? Children really do take their cues about how to handle loss and disappointment from what they see and hear from the adults in their lives.

So parents can have a huge impact on how they cope with losing and adversity more both now and beyond.

Here are 12 books that help teach young kiddos about losing with kindness and compassion — for others and themselves.

"Kevin The Unicorn: It's Not All Rainbows"
To teach kids to cope with adversity, it's critical to normalize how darn hard it can feel.

"Cheetah Can't Lose"
This book helps teach them that one, you can't (and won't!) always win.

"The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes"
This book helps young perfectionists learn that mistakes happen, and that's OK.

"The Grumpy Monkey"
Getting comfortable with unpleasant feelings is an essential part of learning to cope with losing.

"The OK Book"
This self-esteem-booster teaches kids (and maybe reminds parents?!) that it's completely OK to just be at OK at stuff.

"Olympig! The Triumphant Story Of An Underdog"
No one can win 'em all.

"The Way I Act"
This book encourages kids to consider not just how they feel, but how they act upon those feelings.

"After The Fall: How Humpty Dumpty Got Back Up Again"
Using the classic story of Humpty Dumpty, this book reminds children that everyone fails.

"Sally Sore Loser: A Story About Winning And Losing"
Sally is — you guessed it! — a sore loser.

"The Golden Acorn"
This book helps kiddos understand the importance of teamwork and cooperation — even if sometimes it means not coming in first place.

"The Grizzly Bear Who Lost His Grrrrr!"
Fred is used to winning best bear in the woods, but in this book he learns there are more important things than coming out on top.

"You Can't Win Them All, Rainbow Fish."
Because truly — you can't!

I hope reading these books will teach everyone and will help everyone to be able to lose and be losers more gracefully and know that being a loser as well is really truly OKAY :)