itsawonderfilledlife

The Olympic games in Korea have begun, and with them inspiring and heartwarming advertisements.

I have seen a few commercials made for this year’s Olympic games season, but it is still one from 2014 that grabs my attention, and heart. The commercial is for and by P&G called Thank You Mom (click the link to see … get your tissues ready), and it follows the lives of children who eventually become a skier, figure skater, snow boarder and hockey player.

After the stories of the four children to Olympians, through all of the attempts and failures, learning and injuries, each of the Olympians are successful in their respective sports and look to their moms, who have been with them from the beginning. The ad then finishes with these words on the screen:

As a mom, at the end of parenting children (they are all adults), I sometimes find myself looking back and evaluating parenting decisions I made over the years. Sometimes I pat my back and sometimes …

I also look back at my life experience as a daughter, and the decisions, actions, love and consequences (good and bad, natural and enforced) that were part of my childhood.

Failing and falling, disappointments and discouragements, consequence … good and bad,  are part of every life. To stop trying after the downfall, tragic.

My parents did not soften the blows of life, nor did they ‘save’ me from the hard stuff. They were, though, always there for a hug and encouragement afterwards. I am so thankful to them for this.

Being a different generation of parent, I admit that I did sometimes step in and attempt to ‘save’ them. It is interesting to me, now, that it is in many of those times of ‘saving’ them that are the parenting actions that I regret most, for they lost the greater lesson of falling and of having to get back up again.

This lesson builds greater strength, perseverance and tenacity … things that not only Olympians need, for success in life.