Lessons for Tweens during the Olympic Summer Games

What can we learn? What can we share with our kids?

For those of you who read regularly (thank you), you know that our two shiny monkeys are tweens who love sports. They don't, however, love:


1. Practice. Especially in the rain or snow.
2. "Unfair referees/umps/coaches" or other authority figures who don't appreciate their awesomeness.
3. Practice when they are tired, hungry or have lots of homework to do - and when the TV goes off so practices aren't missed.
4. Losing. Any time. Even if their personal achievements on the field were excellent.
5. Overly competitive kids who say nasty/rude/inappropriate things on the playing field - monkey feelings are easily hurt.
6. Overly competitive parents or coaches who say equally inappropriate things - and should know better.

With the Summer Games in full swing, here are a few things that younger monkeys can learn from the Olympics, with your guidance:


1. Go big or go home.
Gabby, Jordyn and Ali all showed young women what it is like to practice, practice, practice BIG... and have reaped big rewards. If not a place on Team USA, then a chance to compete in the world's largest arena and showcase her talents... and there's always Rio.


2. Winning is fast and fleeting... not everyone wins.
As a comedian once said, "there's only one winner... if you come in second, that means that of all the losers, you are the best."  Well, that's a little harsh, but in the Olympics, training and perspiration and guidance comes down to seconds, tenths of seconds, hundreds of seconds between gold, silver and bronze.  Use this event as a platform to talk about how it feels to win, and what you need to do to get there instead of who the "losers" are. Which leads me to...


3. You can't win them all.
Jordyn Wieber... top of her game, ranked highest in their sport in the world, and yet coming home with a great experience but no medal. The agony of defeat is crushing for most of us, but perhaps more dramatic for tweens who haven't yet learned how to cope with loss. The Olympics can be a great lesson in losing gracefully, especially for kids who get easily upset and frustrated in youth sports. Exceptional athletes study their losses in order to improve, and turn around and win big next year (or in the next four years).


4. Good sportsmanship and teamworks trumps individual results. Watch the Games closely and there are countless opportunities for parents and kids to point out where athletes are supporting each other, cheering each other on, helping each other out... win or lose.  It would be fun to start a Good Sport Watch chart while you watch the Olympics, giving points for spotting each positive interaction between players or competitors.


5. Accentuate the positive.
Tweens often think that after one loss, "that's it... I'm a loser. I'm bad at this. I'm never playing again." The Summer Games are a great way to show kids that it is okay to be sad... but what comes next is really where the rubber meets the road.


Champion boxer Muhammad Ali said, "Champions aren't made in gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them: a desire, a dream, a vision. They have to have last-minute stamina, they have to be a little faster, they have to have the skill and the will. But the will must be stronger than the skill."  Like these Olympic athletes who can shake off frustration and say "see you in four years," kids must learn that the will to win must exceed simply being a good athlete (or a popular athlete).

Monkeys love to get deep sometimes.
We can't do giveaways all the time.

Enjoy the Games, monkeys!