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I love the Olympics.  I love the thrill of the competition.  I love the dedication of the athletes, the hours put into practicing, giving their life to this one moment.  Every heart-wrenching victory lights me up.  More than that I love the one brief moment of unity and peace that it gives the world.  Yes, we're all competing.  But for one moment countries that hate each other, countries that are rife with conflict, countries that no one has ever heard of come together for this single event.  And for five minutes the problems of the world vanish.  All that matters is gymnastics or track or rowing.  I find that somewhat magical.

I love that in this moment, across cultural boundaries, you can empathize with someone you'll never meet.  You feel their victory, or their defeat.  You feel their pride, or their disappointment.  I thought the Proctor and Gamble mom commercials captured this perfectly, "proud sponsor of moms".  I cried when they showed clips of the reactions of the moms as their children won a medal.  I felt their joyous pride.   I don't know these women. The thing is, I don't have to know them to understand their reactions.  I have children, so I understand.  I understand the sacrifices that they've had to make to get their children to that moment.  I understand the stress of making sure they have the opportunity to make their dreams come true.  I know that they've held their children as they cried, thinking they'd never achieve their dreams.  I know the feeling of pride when their child makes even the slightest accomplishment.  We're mothers.  We do whatever we have to for our children.  It's universal.

As we jump into another school year, I've started the process of signing the kids up for their various activities.  I have to admit I've been a little stressed about it.  Three kids, six activities, plus their school commitment's.   And they've all hit the ages where they practice a few days a week, which costs more, of course.  I'm adding up the hours and the money, and my head starts to spin a little.  Because it doesn't add up.  By the middle of last week, I was a pretty little mess about it, considering telling them that they couldn't do anything this year.  But then we all sat down together Sunday night to watch the closing ceremonies.  The gold medal recap started and we all cheered with each accomplishment.  Pistorius, Bolt, The Fab Five, Phelps and Lochte and Franklin, May-Treanor and Walsh.  It was great to see it all again.  But it was the gymnasts that got me.  Probably because I had my own gymnasts walking on her hands behind me, cheering upside down.  I looked over at her, and I knew that the sacrifice is worth it.  Every dollar spent, every hour at the gym (or the field or the theater), it's all worth it.

I have no grand illusions that my kids are going to be Olympic athletes.  But they will each be great in their own way.  And I will sacrifice whatever I have to in order to give them the opportunity to go as far as they want to go.  Whether that's a star gymnasts in elementary school, a high-school running back, or a Broadway diva.  Or whether it's becoming a teacher, an artist, an engineer, or a parent.  It doesn't matter what it is. I will cheer them on and support them and help them make their dreams come true.  Because I'm a mother.  We do whatever we have to for our children.  It's universal.