Let's Hear it for the Moms!

Being a mom is hard work, no doubt about that. I came across this commercial on You Tube recently that honors moms and their commitment to helping their children follow their dreams, in this case, Olympic dreams. It's a touching ad that hits home for me as a parent of a gymnast and a soccer player who have to be here, there, and everywhere for practice, a meet, or a game. Not only do they have to be there, they have to be there on time with clean leotards, warm-ups, uniforms, gear, water, snacks, and confidence.




When we attended my daughter's first National YMCA gymnastics meet last summer, the speaker at the opening ceremonies, 1984 Gold Medal gymnast Peter Vidmar, had all of the gymnasts in the stadium stand up to applaud their moms (and dads too) for taking them to and fro to compete in the sport that they love. It was awesome!

All moms, dads, and caregivers should be applauded for all they do for their children, Olympic contenders or not. I give a big hand to my mom, a mother of three girls, who was a Brownie leader, a PTA mom, a swim team fan, a marching band booster, and much more. As a band booster, she not only chaperoned overnight marching band camp in a dusty old high school in the middle of a cornfield, but travelled back and forth with a busload of teenagers in the band so they could perform at Disney World duing spring break. To his credit, my dad also served as a chaperone for that same trip, but he elected to fly from Chicago to Orlando and home again. (I'm not sure how he worked out that sweet deal, but it was quite clever on his part.)

A few weeks ago, one of my husband's co-workers asked him why he takes our kids around the world so they can participate in all of their activities. My response to that person would have been "Why not?" As a mom, as a parent, you just do it. That's why!

So here is a little shout out to all the dedicated moms out there - thank you for doing what you do, be it cheering on the sidelines, washing stinky socks and uniforms, making snacks for the team, re-heating dinner for a tired child, and taking your kids here, there, and everywhere to help them follow their dreams.

*If you enjoyed P&G's 2012 Olympic's commercial, here is another short, but sweet advert sent to me from my big sis who lives in London.

Happy Mother's Day! Love, Sue