Olympic Moms Stir It Up
Who doesn't feel that tug of emotion when you see an Olympic athlete hugging their mother? You would have to be made of stone to not get a little teary at shots of the parents in the Olympic stands. And the commercials may be even worse.
I'm always interested in the role of the parents of Olympic athletes. Did they push their kids? Or were they taken along for a ride? Did they work hours in the bingo hall to raise money? Did they mortgage their house just for this dream? Did they push their kids, when their kids wanted to give up?
Or were they reluctant participants?
There has been so much talking about moms at the London Olympics. Anchored by the (manipulative or lovely?) P&G 'Thank You Mom' commercials, the role of Olympic parents seems larger this year.
There was a hilarious video of the Aly Raisman's parents watching her on the high bars. It gives you a sense of how stressful it would be to watch your child compete on such a stage. (If you haven't seen it yet, you may find it here.)
This video from the Today Show gives a sense of what they go through watching Aly, and their reaction to being viral video stars:
My friend Erica Ehm got to travel to London to interview some of the mothers of the athletes. No suprise. Their stories will make you cry.
Kathy Buckworth, at the Huffington Post, adds in her two cents saying that us mothers do our own version of the Olympics all the time - especially the high jump.
When you watch the Olympics do you have to keep the tissues close by?
Want more chaos? Last year, I wondered how much to reveal online about my kids.
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