Parenting: A Feat of Olympic Proportion

Pun Intended. It's a post about the Olympics!

Hello beautiful humans! Take a second right now, wherever you are, and try to see if you can hum the Olympic theme song to yourself (also, is this song the same no matter what country you live in? I assume yes since it is a global event, but maybe not?! I need to look this up) :: LOOKS IT UP :: Ok, NO, it is NOT the same everywhere. The one I hum in my head is usually only aired on NBC? Plus there is all this (official looking) information about an anthem I maybe have never heard? ALSO, I just learned that the Olympic Anthem I hum is a mash-up of two songs, with the first 45 seconds from “Bulgar’s Dream” written in 1958 by French composer Leo Arnaud (who is Bulgar and what did he dream?!) and the rest known as “Olympic Fanfare and Theme” composed by John Williams in 1984. Anyway, now I am more confused than when I started down this rabbit hole, but I am still humming and I still feel inspired. Whatever you might be humming, (Is it the Star Wars theme song?) I hope it makes you think of rhythmic gymnastics, track and field, and the bright-burning Olympic torch.

Photo by Luca Dugaro on Unsplash

Just before I had my two children, I worked as a nanny in a nanny-share situation, meaning I was one nanny watching kids from two separate families. At an early interview with the second family, I bragged about my “active and energetic” lifestyle. The next day, I went to work, and the family I was nannying for asked if I had googled my potential employers. No, I had not. Turns out I had touted my athleticism to a family that boasted an actual freaking OLYMPIAN. I kid you not. When I got a call back for the gig, I fully redacted my “active human” statement, explaining that I was, in fact, a person who liked to be outside and, you know, take hikes and really basic fitness stuff. I got the gig despite my lack of Olympic-level fitness because, it turns out, I AM really great at taking care of kiddos. Sometimes, taking care of babies feels like it should be an Olympic sport, my body contorting into the strangest shapes as I lunge to save a child from a dangerous precipice or squat to pick up a dropped lovey while carrying twin kiddos and a stroller down the flowing traffic of NYC subway. Dirty diaper marathon runs? Lego hurdling? Should we pitch it to the Olympic committee?

It wouldn’t be the weirdest sport in the Olympics. For example, Dressage is fancy dancing only it is horses who dance. Steeplechase is the opposite, where it is the sport of horse jumping without the horses, so humans race 3000 meters jumping over various obstacles including (my favorite) a water hazard one. Did you know Race Walking (aka speed walking) is an Olympic event? Because it is. Same with Trampoline! Look it up and you won’t be able to look away. I also read that one year there was an Olympic event that basically involved humans jumping into water and then drifting as far as they could. SPORTS!

I love watching the Olympics. My top two favorite summer Olympic events (as of today, right now, I reserve the right to change this opinion with every Olympic event I watch):

Synchronized Diving. Because what? Added to the Olympics in Sydney in 2000, it took an already difficult sport (Diving) and made it even harder. Yeah, do that triple flip twisty thing in a speedo and land without a splash, but now do it at the exact same time as this other person. Do we ever wonder how people end up in these niche talent sports?

Floor Routine Gymnastics. It is DANCE meets Gymnastics. It is like a regular floor meets a trampoline. It is me, holding my breath every single time they finish a series of flips across the mat, wondering if they are going to stick the landing. Will their feet stay inside those lines?

Also, NEW SPORT ALERT!! Did you hear?

Breaking (aka breakdancing) is new to the 2024 Olympics and I can’t wait to see what kind of head-spinning happens. Remember when Usher had a breakdancing dance-off in this video? Basically, I’m wondering if Usher made this happen. (He did not).

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FROM THE STAX

AMY WU AND THE RIBBON DANCE by Kat Zhang Illustrated by Charlene Chua

Amy Wu really wants to ribbon dance, but doesn’t have quite the right material to make her dreams come true. Will she let her lack of perfect ribbon ruin her fun? Or will she find a workaround?

Ribbon Dancing is an OLYMPIC SPORT! And you don’t need to have the perfect ribbon to do a perfect ribbon dance. We love Amy Wu and all the great lessons learned from her books. In this one, we learn that all you need for a perfect ribbon dance is some creativity, some friends, and a willingness to have a lot of fun. Let the combination of this book and the Olympics inspire some real ribbon dancing in your house.

DUDE! by Aaron Reynolds Illustrated by Dan Santat

Two friends are having an epic surf day when an unexpected visitor crashes their party. Is this toothy third a threat or a potential new pal?

Surfing is an OLYMPIC SPORT! This book may only contain one word (hence the clever author byline) but hidden in that one word is a story that contains a whole lot of heart and some pretty great silliness too. Watch some Olympic surfing and if you are lucky enough to live near some waves, go grab your board! Shaka brah’.

BALLER INA by Liz Casal

Ina is a ballerina. Ina is a basketballer. (Get it? Baller Ina?) She uses her skills from Ballet to shine on the court, even if some of the opposing team isn’t sure you can be good at both things.

Basketball is an OLYMPIC SPORT! And Ballet isn’t but rhythmic gymnastics is kinda like ballet! I love how this book inspires confidence and lets kids know you don’t have to just love ONE thing, you can be great at a lot of things, and sometimes having a skill in one area can help you improve your skills in another. So go get your tutu and your basketball and let’s see how high you can leap.

KOALA LOU by Mem Fox Illustrated by Pamela Lofts

Koala Lou is very loved, but sometimes her mama gets kinda busy with all the other little koalas. Koala Lou decides to enter the Olympics to make her mama proud (and maybe make sure she is still loved). She trains hard, she tries harder, but will she have what it takes to win?

Tree Climbing is NOT AN OLYMPIC SPORT! But this book does capture the idea of the Olympics being a fierce competition, a clamoring for the top prize, and also contains an important lesson: you don’t have to be the winner to be cherished and loved.

IF YOU WANT TO RIDE A HORSE by Amy Novesky Illustrated by Gael Abary

**I received a promotional copy of this book. All opinions are my own**

Have you ever dreamed of owning a horse? What kind of horse would you have? Where would you go? How would you care for it? A primer in all things horse, but written and illustrated in a dreamy and lyrical fashion, this hybrid book is equal parts whimsical and informative, with illustrations that will keep your children captivated.

Horse riding is involved in OLYMPIC SPORT! Pair this book with a viewing of dressage (horse dancing), horse jumping, eventing (ummm…horses doing horse stuff), or the horse portion of the modern pentathlon (look it up, it’s weird). We don’t have any real horses to ride, but we have some toy horses I imagine will go on some mighty fun races this Olympic season.

WATCH ME THROW THE BALL by Mo Willems

Gerald has a ball and is really great at throwing it. Piggy wants a turn with the ball and is pretty pumped to show Gerald just how far she can throw it. She throws it so far, it goes all the way around the world…right, Gerald?! Well, maybe not, but Piggy still knows how to have fun. If you know Mo Willems (if you don’t you should) you know this book is so silly your family will want to read it five times in a row and then immediately go practice throwing things.

Shot put, hammer throw, javelin, and discus are all OLYMPIC SPORTS(!!) that involve throwing things! Pair this book with any of those great track and field sports and then go outside and chuck some stuff as far as you can! Perhaps around the world?

HOUR OF THE OLYMPICS by Mary Pope Osborne

Jack and Annie are at it again, this time in Ancient Rome, witnessing the first Olympic Games. Jack and Annie are surprised to learn that girls aren’t allowed to compete in the games at all, or even attend. In true Jack and Annie fashion, they get around the rules of ancient society and teach history some lessons of their own.

These books are not always my favorite to read, but my kids love to listen to the adventures of Jack and Annie, and so I carry on.

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YOUR TIME TO SHINE

Turn watching the Olympics into playing the Olympics with your kids! Try out some of these ideas, or come up with your own. Let me know what you compete in and how it goes.

Diving. Compete in silly-jump competitions at the pool. Judge for biggest splash, silliest moves, length of jump, smallest splash, or most style.

Rhythmic Gymnastics. Get some ribbons or Sarah’s Silks and put on your favorite music and FEEL the inspiration flow.

If there’s a Will, there’s a way

Relay. Grab an old paper towel roll (decorate it with foil if you want) and pick a course. Get the whole family involved so you can run longer distances. Nothing is more fun (or possibly tear-inducing, depending on the moment) than trying to pass off the baton.

Bike races. Get on those wheels and GO! You could set up cones in a deserted parking lot to race in circles, or you could head to your closest trail and practice some BMX-inspired dirt biking.

Synchronized Swimming. My kids are too young to do this, but I am not too old. Grab your favorite friend or have your teenagers or tweensters choreograph a pool dance routine. You’ll feel as beautiful as the Bellagio.

Happy Olympics and happy reading Y’all!