NO!

As I was walking on my treadmill this morning, a piece on television about a couple who participated in the just concluded winter Olympics caught my attention. I turned up the volume and became more incredulous as I listened.

In a nutshell, here is what I learned:  A 47 year old man and his 48 year old wife from Montana (that is a state in these United States of America) participated in the Winter Olympic Games under the flag of the island country of Dominica (he actually carried the flag in the opening ceremonies!).  He, Gary di Silvestri, and his wife, Angelica Morrone, acquired "economic citizenship" in Dominica by donating a minimum of $175,00 to the country.  And according to the president of the commonwealth of Dominica, no Olympic rules or principles were violated.  Additionally, this couple was slated to participate in a cross country skiing event during the Olympic games. Guess what? Neither finished the event due to medical reasons.

As I finished my workout, several words were running around inside my head, but the one that I actually looked up is "spoiled."  On line, Miriam Webster defines spoil:  to give (someone, such as a child) everything that he or she wants : to have a bad effect on (someone) by allowing too many things or by not correcting bad behavior   

 Can I get an amen here??? 

Now maybe these folks are hard working, God fearing people who meant no harm. I really don't know much about them. Since this is my blog, I'll take a bit of liberty, go out on a limb and just say it...I think they are spoiled. They probably have gotten what they've wanted most of their lives and nobody who really loves them has ever said NO...No, honey, we aren't throwing you a birthday party. Why? because you are only turning seven. We will celebrate your birthday with the family just like we've done every year since you were born. Grandma and grandpa will come, your cousins and aunts and uncles will all be here.  Maybe on your tenth birthday you can have a big party with lots of friends. That will give you something to look forward to. No, you can't have a new bike. Why? because your brother's bike has plenty of wear left in it, he's older, so we are looking for a new bike for him. Your time will come. No, we aren't buying you a cell phone. Why? because you are twelve years old and if you need to use a phone, you can use the one on the counter top in our kitchen. No, we aren't buying you your own car. Why? because we can't afford it. You can probably get a ride to the high school with one of the kids in the neighborhood. And when you absolutely need a car, you can take the family van. No, you can't stay out all night after Prom. Why? because you're a high school junior and I don't want you sleeping at Sally's house even if the boys are sleeping in the basement. No, you can't participate in the Olympics just because you have enough money to buy economic citizenship into a country in which you don't reside and putting up all that money didn't violate any Olympic rules or principles.Why? because you are spoiled rotten. Think about the athletes (real athletes) who actually live in the countries they represent (or have some ties, other than financial, to the countries they represent), have practiced for years, have sacrificed for years, have dreamed for years, have gotten sponsorships because they are really...athletes! Honor them by acknowledging that just doing something because you have the money to make it happen is bad behavior and undermines the integrity of the Olympic spirit.

I can say with pretty much certainty and it can probably be verified by our kids, that Mark and I didn't spoil our children. We used that little word early and often!  We aren't perfect parents by any stretch of the imagination, but we loved our kids enough to just say no!