Successful Parenting

My dad has been gone for close to twenty years now, yet this Father's Day week he is closer to my heart than he has been in many years.

If he were still alive, II am sure we would have been sharing in the excitement of the Stanley Cup playoffs over the past few weeks, culminating in the Bruins' victory over the Vancouver Canucks last night in Game 7. 

It was an excitement we shared 39 years ago when the Bruins last won the Cup.  Since he was born in 1925, he was alive for all of the other Cup victories by the B's in 1929, 1939, 1941, 1970 and 1972.

On Sunday, the New England Patriots met their bitter rivals, the New York Jets, for the third time this season, with the winner advancing to the AFC Championship game. The Pats had only lost two games all season, were unbeaten at Gillette Stadium, and were heavy favorites to not only beat the Jets but to go all the way to and win the Super Bowl in Dallas in early February.

But it didn't go according to plan. Bill Belichick's team played poorly, the Jets played well, and the result was a shocking 28-21 loss by New England to Rex Ryan's Jets.

As painful as the loss has been for Pats fans, it nevertheless provides a great "teachable moment" for parents to talk about with their young athletes around the dinner table.

To address the discrimination in athletics that girls still face in high schools across the country the National Women's Law Center has launched the "Rally for Girls' Sports: She'll Win More Than a Game" campaign. As part of the campaign, I was invited to participate and to write a blog about the advantages of athletics participation and how it has affected me in my life by answering the question, "What did you win by playing sports?"

As those who have read my articles and blogs on MomsTeam.com, heard me speak around the country, on radio or television, or read my op eds or book, Home Team Advantage, know, I have often used personal stories from my past in my work advocating for safer, saner, less stressful and more inclusive youth sports.

I am in a bit of a rut this week. Call it for what it is: Olympic withdrawal.  Last week I spent a glorious week in Vancouver as a spectator at the Winter Olympics. The week before I left for the games I watched as much of the coverage as I could every night. I was very fortunate to be able to have tickets to some of my favorite events but one event will stick out as truly remarkable-it was the Women's Ice Hockey Gold Medal Game.

Last week, I spent an interesting hour as a guest on the "Charlotte Talks" show on Charlotte's National Public Radio station. The show was titled "Youth Sports and The Law."