"I can only tell you what I tell the kids in my own life about sports heros like Phelps. Perfection in sports is a dangerous illusion. Don't ever confuse it with real virture, or intellect. Let's try to understand exactly what its genuinely good for -- it teaches discipline,dedication -- but let's also try to see what's often false about it. The really marvelous thing about sports is that the most extraordinary things are accomplished by quite ordinary people, who are just as flawed personally as you or me. What's great about them is how hard they work to OVERCOME those flaws, and turn them to positives."
I really do not care who people are. Obama smokes and the world still functions. Micheal Phelps smokes and ironically there are no planes falling from the sky. In in the long run, all I really want to project to my children is to tell the truth. If I trained for 4 years straight and climbed the pinnacle of success it is perfecly fine to sit back and enjoy it. The one truth I completely ignore in this case is that it is illegal, but so is jay walking. I know that is a misplaced analogy, but in the simplest sense of the word the analogy works perfectly.
When I present something at work, the people in the room do not need to know my flaws. When I run a marathon I have flaws and when i give to charity I have flaws.
And I also know my children and our children have flaws.
Michael Phelps is not their role model. We as parents are the role models. And sometimes it does not always work out for the best. Max forgot his soccer shoes for the 10th time a row. Wonder where he got that.
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