Just yesterday, I began to teach my son to say the word, "Olympics." At first it sounded a bit like..."Omilnick". Gradually he got to where you could understand what he was trying to say. He has no idea what the Olympic Games are all about. All he cares about is that we get to fly on an airplane. Even when we are on the airplane, he gets super excited about seeing all of the other airplanes off in the distance.
But, my daughter is kind of intrigued by the whole thing. I think they might be talking about it a bit in preschool. I told her teachers she would be gone for the month because we were taking her to the Olympics. When I say it, I think it sounds pretty great.
I get very psyched about the 17 days of excitement and emotion. I hope she can feel it even a little bit. And I do think they both will, actually. I remember my first Olympics was in 1984 at the LA Games. I was beyond excited...granted I was 11. But I will never forget feeding off the energy of the crowd. I didn't have to be in an venue to feel the buzz, it was everywhere.
I don't know how many races and events we will take the kids to but we will definitely introduce them to as much of the Olympic culture as we can. There will be constant activity with bands and medal ceremonies or even impromptu parties in the streets...just because someone from Austria won. I love how people sing, dance and paint their faces all to show how proud they are of their country.
This will be my 7th Olympics either as a spectator or as a competitor. They never get old to me and they always pump my blood. For me, it is very simple. I appreciate how everything has come down to these few moments on the ice or the hill or the rink. If it doesn't happen now, these athletes will have to wait 4 more years to give it another try. I know they have lots of other meaningful competitions in between but an Olympic medal seems to be the pinnacle. I love cheering for them, all of them, and I hope my kids will love cheering for them as well.
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