The Gloves Come Off...for a Good Cause

It's that time of year again....that time of year that I wish I didn't have to open up Emily's backpack, because I know what I will find...the dreaded school fundraising packet.  Although most of the catalogue items are buyer friendly: pizzas, cheesecakes and Gertrude Hawk chocolates, there is nothing worse than troubling your family and friends to buy items that they may not want or use.  If that isn't bad enough, there is always the "what we'd like every family to sell" dollar amount, deciding what prizes you want in the event that you actually sell between $499 - $699 (we're eyeing up a very nice art set in case this happens), and of course the daily contests at school to see who is racking up the most sales.  These contests are what led me to a little self reflection this weekend.
It all started last Wednesday night as I was perusing the various flyers and contest rules.  Enclosed was a paper to be returned ASAP that gave permission for Emily to attend a "Nifty Fifties" ice cream outing should she be one of the top sellers. And at the bottom it promised that the first ten students to return the form would get a special prize the next day.   So, while filling it out, I gave Emily directions to give it to her teacher right away and maybe she would get a prize.
Now, every morning it is pretty much a fight to the finish until we get out of the door.  Mostly this is because of Emily's hair which I threaten to shave off on a daily basis, but that's a topic for another blog.  Typically we are racing out the door at 8:04 am, and I am telling Noah to put his shoes on in the car and Emily still only has one side of her hair done.  However, on Thursday morning I noticed Emily getting ready at a breakneck pace.  It was 7:45, teeth were brushed, hair was combed and she was telling Noah that he could just put his coat on over his pajamas.

"What is going on?"  I asked.  To which she replied, "MOM...we have to get to school so that I can be the first to hand my paper in.  I'm GOING TO GET a prize!"  Feeling relieved that there was going to be no blood spilt over the hair brushing, I chuckled to myself as we got in the car and made it to school ten minutes earlier than normal.   As I pulled away I wondered...was she more interested in getting a prize or just the idea of being the first?  I got my answer when we picked her up that afternoon.  Smiling from head to toe she exclaimed, "I handed my paper in and I got a prize!"  Feeling incredibly satisfied myself I prompted her for more details, "What was the prize?"
"Oh it was just a donut, BUT I was the only one in my class that got one!"  And there it was.  The competitive urges of a five year old summed up in one simple contest.  What was even more surprising to me was how excited I was for her....here I was having a spike the ball in the end zone type of moment over a paper and a donut?
So, being completely aware of my competitive spirit, I've been asking myself...how does it start?  Nature or nurture?  Maybe a little of both?