I can’t imagine the life of an Olympic athlete, the extensive training they go though and the stress involved in competing to get there. I imagine it takes a lot of support from family, friends and fans to get them through. Duracell is an official sponsor of the London 2012 Olympic Games. They’ve launched a Virtual Stadium app tab on their Facebook page so fans can help power the athletes through by sending them inspiring messages and words of encouragement that will be displayed on 25+ foot high-tech screens at the P&G Family Home. This is the only place that athletes can be with their families as they are not allowed in Olympic Village. Submit your motivational message or video for a chance to win a trip to the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games or a $500 Visa gift card from Duracell!
I may not know what it’s like to raise an Olympian but by marrying a sports nut and having three kids with him, I’m headed for a life filled with kids sporting events! My oldest is five and has played soccer and t-ball. My middle child will be starting sports this coming year and my youngest will be joining them as soon as she’s old enough. We’ve already encountered the parenting dilemma of what to do when your child no longer wants to play in middle of the season. While some parents might just pull their child out to keep them happy we decided we wanted our son to finish out the season. We explained to him what it means to be a teammate, that your team counts on you to be there to help them out. We let him know that if he really didn’t want to play the following year that it would be his choice but he couldn’t quit mid-season and let his teammates down. To show our support we invited grandparents to come cheer him on. We praised his efforts and encouraged him to get in the game and have some fun. That was the second year of soccer and he did choose not to play the next season but to continue on with t-ball.
With Little League we made sure that Jackson never missed a game or practice to continue to instill the importance of commitment and teamwork. There were cold rainy days when we, as parents, didn’t feel like making the effort to show up but we knew we needed to. We were always glad we did. It’s not always easy to do the right thing but we know that raising children with good sportsmanship and a commitment to working together as a team will give them important skills they can use later in life. I admire the families that support their Olympians, now as they go for the gold as well as all the time, effort and commitment they put into raising these talented young people!
How do you encourage and support your little sports players?
I was compensated for this blog post as part of the SocialMoms and Duracell blogging program. The opinions and ideas expressed here are my own.