First of all, thank you all so much for your comments and emails about the latest MOM SHOW episode!! Those of you who haven't registered yet...go...go...go!
Now...onto the major news of the day... MICHAEL PHELPS and his BONG!
I have to say, the first thing I thought when I saw the picture was, "Oh, his poor mom!" Then I thought of all the kids (like my own) who look up to him and think he is the most amazing human on the planet (besides their mom, of course...and well, maybe dad, too).
But, my kids are not allowed to watch the news. I don't want them to open their little heads up and have all the CRAP that goes on around the world dumped into it. I want to keep their little "slates" clean for as long as I can so they can develop their OWN thoughts and feelings toward right and wrong without the help of Britney Spears, OJ Simpson, Anna Nicole Smith and other derelicts of our society. Of course, a couple days in school and I am sure they will hear it from a friend and come running to ask me, "Is it true? Is it true?"
Here's my take on Michael Phelps and his choices. Quite honestly, what the guys does in his own time is HIS business and I couldn't care less. BUT, he dropped the ball when making a choice to do something illegal and harmful to his body IN FRONT OF PEOPLE WITH CELL PHONE CAMERAS. I do believe he has probably missed out on much of his childhood and young adult years b/c of swimming. I get that. (and NO, I am NOT saying that smoking a bong is something we all need to do to say that we have "lived" a true young adult life...I am NOT SAYING THAT AT ALL!) But the pressure he is feeling b/c of the responsibility he now has to the WHOLE world (Imagine that! The WHOLE WORLD!) must be hitting him hard and he caved.
His choices of HOW to deal with that pressure were poor.
But I don't think we don't need to knock him down, trample him and make him suffer, though, do we? Some of his sponsored have pulled their contracts. He's been punished to the tune of a couple million dollars. I bet we can all think of ONE THING we have done in the last 10 years that if it was splashed across the news we would want to crawl into a hole and die?
Maybe it was a Mommy-tantrum @ WalMart or in your own home.
Maybe you have been unfaithful in your marriage.
Maybe you have taken prescription drugs just a couple times too many without an actual ailment.
Maybe you have bounced a couple checks.
Lied to a friend.
Faked it!
You finish the list....
Wouldn't we want our friends, family, and the strangers that witnessed our BIG PUBLIC OOPS to show some grace? Have a heart? Give you a chance to start fresh? A public do-over?
Yes, what Michael did was a poor choice. Yes, many children will see that choice. But, we as parents, need to stand up and turn this into a HUGE TEACHING MOMENT. A lesson in poor judgement, how it affects others and a BIGGER lesson in showing grace. Michael's mistake could be a blessing in disguise for your family. Have a chat with your kids about it tonight.
I wanna hear your MOM PERSPECTIVE on this.
