Every four years, or whatever the interval it is these days, I vow I will not watch the Olympics. The Olympics of my youth are gone. At least back then there were some bonafide amateurs. And the East Vs West thing was interesting. If you don’t think so go back and look at the Miracle on Ice in Lake Placid. The Olympics of today is so commercial and a bit over the top.

So, here we are and the kids want to watch the Opening Ceremony. I have work to do but this only happens every four years, or whatever the interval is these days, so we watch. I want them to learn about the world and seeing some of the 204 participating nations march in is an education. I want them to see the Americans. Team USA finally marches in. 30 seconds later it is time for bed.

OK, my obligatory Olympics moment for the children is done I can now get on with my life. Wrong. The Games are on and, as in years past when I vowed not to watch, I am sucked in like a moth to light, or a fan to the Olympic flame. Why? Well, I am fan of sport. I admire excellence. I am inspired by their effort. Those two reasons work for me. I check the medal counts and root for the home team (that would be the USA) and cheer for the underdog. And I talk to the kids about all this. If for no other reason I appreciate the Olympics because it creates a dialog that we need more of in our societies and families.

My son is into Tae Kwon Do. My daughter is into soccer. How better to inspire them then to watch the best in the world? And how better to get choked up when my son says, “I want to get good at Tae Kwon Do so I can go to Beijing and be in the Olympics.”……………..long pause from Dad as I regain my composure. Umm, Well, actually, for you, Son, that could be Chicago in 2016. I lose my composure again. For a split second I entertain seeing my children on the international stage and I realize it could be a home game. Chicago! I redo the math. It might be 2020, or whatever interval they will be at by then, but who cares? The kid is inspired and so am I.

I am reminded why the Olympics matter. I thought this post was going to be about excellence and effort in whatever we do but I realize now it is about helping our children dream dreams and dreaming right along with them. Our mission as parents, and leaders in our organizations, is to help them envision a better future. Our mission for ourselves is to dream big and work towards that future. Even better if the future has a gold medal.

USA. USA. USA. USA. USA.

This entry was posted on Sunday, August 10th, 2008 at 2:45 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.