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SALT LAKE CITY — As I recently saw the hilarious nervous reaction of U.S. gymnast Ali Raisman’s parents as she competed in the gymnastics competition, I found myself thinking that we parents are all the same.
No, I'm not the parent of an Olympian, but I do feel what I do on a daily basis is pretty Herculean. Finding the lost swimsuit, overdue library book, or lost tooth — in the nick of time — is, after all, fairly amazing stuff.
When I look at what I and other mothers do, day in and day out, I can see the building of an athlete, but not in the typical every-four-year sense. I have felt that same parental fear and sideline encouragement, not at a gymnastics meet but in their moral decisions or difficult life experiences.
When I look at what I and other mothers do, day in and day out, I can see the building of an athlete, but not in the typical every-four-year sense.
For example, when they’ve needed self-control rather than engage in a school fight, or were betrayed by a friend and had to work through the painful repairing process; or when I breathed deeply and desperately for my baby as each contraction made the cord dangerously block his air supply. That nervous, "Come on, Ali—catch it, CATCH IT" was true for me too.
Maybe it’s because of my baby’s recent birth that in these London Games motherhood seems to come across not as an interference, but an enhancement. Just ask Kerri Walsh-Jennings. This U.S. Olympic beach volleyball player, and gold-medalist, was asked if now being a mother to her two boys was a distraction at the Games.
Her fabulous answer was no; in fact, they were a help to her. They were part of the "team." Traveling together with her sister as a nanny, the family helped give her the strength and vitality to compete and win, she said. Fulfilling that truth, she is on her way to another gold.
What I got from both the mothers competing and those cheering from the sidelines was that a mother's love makes the difference. That confidence and courage for and in her child gives an incredible gift unmatched by anything performance-enhancing.
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In an interview, super poised teenage swimmer Missy Franklin shared that though she was approached by corporate sponsors' healthy offers, she declined them to remain an eligible swimmer for her high school team.
Missy’s parents also resisted pressure from well-meaning people who advised her to leave the small-town environment and train elsewhere. Missy wisely shared that if she had done so, her swimming would have suffered because her environment of family, friends and a trusted 10-year coach is precisely what made her successful. How does a 17-year-old get that kind of wisdom? Look at her parents.
As my family and I have heard these stories, I can’t help but feel a shared parental pride through this worldwide experience. My children are not future Olympians (unless there’s an event for "Dirty Socks on the Floor") but my everyday love, encouragement and care gives them the strength to face competitions of the day, now and tomorrow. To be kind when someone is cruel; to be honest when it looks more lucrative to cheat; to put family first in a world that hesitates to trust in that truth.
As you watch the Olympics, consider the countless ways you mother your children and prepare them for those white-knuckle moments of life. And give yourself your own gold medal for being the right coach for them at the right time.
Connie Sokol is a mother of seven, a national and local presenter, Education Week speaker, and TV contributor on KSL’s “Studio 5”. She is the author of "Faithful, Fit & Fabulous," "Caribbean Crossroads," "Motherhood Matters," and "Life is Too Short for One Hair Color." Visitwww.conniesokol.comfor more.
