As we gather the family around the TV, we not only have the anticipation of viewing sporing excellence, but of hearing the athlete's inspirational stories. We hear the Olympians’ stories, and possibility of becoming passionately inspired. We hear the Olympian’s stories the grueling hours of training, the unbelievable challenges, and the sacrifices of all involved. But what happens if your child truly catches Olympic fever and develops the passion to be the best. The easy answer is that you support and encourage them, and then grab your video camera and enjoy the ride. However, that easy ride is far from the reality that these atheletes and parents endure. Along the way, when unforeseen challenges arise, is there a point where the costs are too high, the pain too much, and the dream too distant?

The Summer 2008 Olympics was an interesting experience for the U.S. Olympic Gymnastics team as both the men and women teams struggled against China in team competition. The ultimate result was that Chinese women and men struck gold, while U.S. women won silver and men won bronze. Most countries would be happy with these medal finishes. For the U.S., there was an air of what could have been, especially on the face of Alicia Sacramone, who made costly errors in team finals. As parents, we ache for our children anytime they “take a spill”, but on the world stage one can only imagine the heartache this must have been for the gymnast, as well as, her family.

When you watch a sport like this and ponder one of your children catching Olympic fever, you reach an important dilemma as a parent. Should you help a child work tirelessly for years for the slim chance of reaching the Olympics? What if they should fail? Should you encourage your child to enjoy athletics, but also focus on well-rounded activities?
Every parent has to find their own answer for each child. Our parental instincts are naturally to protect our child from harm. In the case of elite athletes practicing and competing at highly competitive levels, the chance of physical injury are significant. Let alone the heartache of the possibility for not attaining their dreams. If your child indicates an intense interest in any activity, be sure that you give encouragement and support for the right reasons. A child should never be expected to excel in exchange for your time or affection. When you have a talented child, it is difficult to resist the temptation to live through your child. Be careful to let your child pursue activities such as competitive sports through free will choice. If the child is truly passionate about a sport they will push you, not the other way around. You may even try to steer them in a new direction, but their passion will prevail. If a single-minded child realizes an Olympic dream like Shawn Johnson, Nastia Liukin, or Alicia Sacramone, that child is simply fulfilling his or her destiny. To push an unwilling child toward your own extremely high goal would be to interfere with your child’s free will choice. Your constant love and support can reassure your child through every experience. Utimately, the passion, the dream of reaching the Olympics cannot be their ultimate desire, but instead the experience, the crazy wild ride of passionately pursuing a dream with all its ups and downs, the relationship with coaches and atheletes formed, and the life lessons learned, must be the coveted prize. The Alicia Sacramone’s of the world in every walk of life knows this to be true. This is what picks them if they fail to attain their desired goal, to then once again fly to new heights. The ride is what truly makes them winners, and what makes them ready for any challenges life may throw their way.

So as you watch the Winter 2010 Olympics with your kids, encourage them to be dreamers. Success in anything cannot happen without the dream. If they happen to become passionate, get ready for a wild ride. A wild ride that will leave you breath-less, sometimes exhausted and sometimes exhilarated, but one that always leaves you proud of their pursuit of excellence. You will know that no matter what level they achieve, they are becoming the confident young adults who, grounded in faith and hope, can fly high to overcome all challenges and triumph in life, so get ready...to enjoy the ride.