Article
Throughout the Olympics we heard some pretty amazing facts: His talk to your kids about what happened and what we all—kids and parents
wing span is longer than his height! His feet are like flippers! He eats over alike—can learn from Michael’s mistake.
10,000 calories a day! He has two times the lung capacity of a normal “Let’s be honest,” says Johnson. “This could have happened to any of
human! These exclamations, some more true than others, were all used to our sons. And while my first reaction would be to bring the hammer down
help explain the superhuman feat of Michael Phelps winning eight gold hard, once the dust had settled, I would want my own son to know that
medals in one Olympics, an accomplishment that made him a hero to there was a way to set things right. We have to remember that role model
many, especially kids. But as the result of one unfortunate photo, the or not, Michael Phelps is entitled to the same compassion, forgiveness, and
superhuman Olympian is now having to face his very human actions. encouragement we would want extended to our own kids. And I think for
Kelly Johnson, mother of six and editor of the upcoming bookA Better many parents it will be easier for us to forgive Michael if we can use him to
Man: True American Heroes Speak to Young Men on Love, Power, Pride and teach our kids some valuable lessons about life.”
What It Really Means to Be a Man(Brandylane Publishing, $24.95), reminds Read on for eight ways to maximize this teaching moment instead of
us that while disgruntled parents with Phelps-loving kids might want to letting the opportunity pass you by:
throw him under the proverbial bus, going after him won’t help your kids Talk about the Phelps story because your kids can relate to it. When
to process what is happening to their American hero. Instead, she urges the nightly news is made up mostly of stories dealing with the financial
that you take this opportunity to teach them some valuable lessons about crisis, the hardships it is causing, and wars overseas, a story about an
their own integrity. Olympic swimmer smoking pot may seem insignificant. But, warns
“Particularly recently it has become especially hard to protect our kids Johnson, the Phelps story is one that your children will more easily relate
from the misbehaving celebrities out there,” says Johnson. “With a famous to as they will experience pressures to drink or use drugs in their own lives.
baseball player admitting to steroid use, a famous singer being accused of Failing to talk with them about the decision Michael Phelps made and the
domestic violence, and of course Phelps, parents have had a lot to explain ramifications it can have is a huge missed opportunity.
to their children recently. For me, Michael Phelps’s behavior hits a little “As parents, we didn’t mind that our kids looked up to Phelps,” says
closer to home than that of many other celebrities because I think he Johnson. “But now it’s time for us to sit down with our kids and tell them
became a national hero for the country. Someone, for once, that we were what we don’t like about the situation and to listen to them give their
happy to let our kids idolize.” opinions. It’s also important that you use this opportunity to explain to
As we hear the news coverage and consider what we would do if we them that Phelps is redeemable. That, sure, he made a mistake, but we all
were in Michael’s mom’s shoes, Johnson says it’s a prime opportunity to do and now he must do what he can to make it right.”
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110 March 2009 |
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