The XXIII Olympic Winter Games just ended and despite not being a winter sports girl, I am blown away by the level of skill, dedication and determination that the athletes display. They train every day for years to make their dreams a reality; It truly is amazing!
My boys are both very athletic, but they will never be winter Olympians — in part because they do not ski, skate, bobsled, curl or play ice hockey. They probably will never be summer Olympians either, for a myriad of other reasons. [Sorry boys, just keeping it real.] However, if medals were given out for some everyday activities, my boys would bring home the gold, for sure. Here are the top ten “events” in which they could each easily medal:
- eye rolling
- arguing / talking back
- sleeping (especially through blaring alarm clocks)
- time spent on social media / watching videos
- time spent in the bathroom / shower
- speed at which they use shampoo, body wash and toothpaste (primarily due to waste, not overuse)
- amount of dirty laundry accumulated / number of days without doing their laundry
- number of days without putting away their clean laundry
- amount of crumbs amassed after a meal
- number of times they have to be told to go to bed before they listen
These activities may not seem as difficult as performing a double cork, executing a triple lutz or scoring a hat trick, but the level of deftness with which my boys implement these teenage normalcies every day is truly award-winning.
Now if I can just get them to show the same level of proficiency in helping around the house, my dreams would be fulfilled.
– LJDT
P.S. Four years ago, I compared the Winter Olympics to parenting. It still holds true, so big ups to all the parents out there getting it done — without a medal or a Wheaties box cover.
