I am an Olympic junkie. I tend to walk around in a daze during the two weeks of the games due to lack of sleep. For years I would watch the games and dream of being an Olympian, despite my complete lack of coordination.
This year as I'm watching the London Olympics, I no longer hope to be an athlete myself. Now my dream is to raise an Olympian. I think about the sports that he might excel at, and try to get him kicking in the pool. Our off-the-growth-charts toddler will probably never make it as a gymnast, coxswain, or table tennis player, but basketball, swimming, and volleyball would all be possibilities. (And does any American really fantasize about being winning the gold in ping-pong?)
But as I hear the stories, I wonder if I have it in me to raise an Olympian. There's the good side: would I see the potential in my child and nurture it like Jonathan Horton's parents? But also the bad: would I send my child away to training camp like Gabby Douglas? It's clear from the stories of many of the young athletes that becoming an Olympian takes the dedication of not just that person, but the entire family. As I watch I wonder, don't Michael Phelps's sisters get tired of being just that? Are siblings neglected? Do relationships suffer? Where is the line between being supportive and pushing your child too far?
Do you think you have what it takes to raise an Olympian?
I'll continue to try to teach B to swim, but the genetics and training that I provide will probably mean that his most Olympic event is enduring two weeks of Bob Costas. I'll be happy and proud of that, too.
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