Vancouver Olympics
Medal Count • The United States in the lead with eight medals while Germany is close behind with five.
The athletes are hitting the slopes and my family is glued to NBC watching every competition and race. It is rare for us all to be interested in the same broadcast--we usually battle between Disney, Discovery, History, Fox and CNN--but the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics have us all captivated.
Olympic mania is usually a family phenomenon and the Vancouver Games are no exception. They are gender neutral, age equalizing and conversation sparking. (My hubby and I are still debating the Apolo Ohno silver medal win where the two Koreans knocked each other out of second and third place allowing Apolo Ohno to come from fourth place to take silver and tie Bonnie Blaire's record as the most decorated Winter Olympic champion. I say he won fair and square, my husband says he should be embarrassed to accept that medal and should hand it to the Korean who was knocked out by his own teammate.) We curl up in bed at night and holler at the television as if the athletes can hear us cheering for their wins. We backseat ski and critique their styles as if any of us had the talent, drive or dedication to have a real opinion. We gasp when they fall and cringe when they are injured. We were mournful when Nodar Kumaritashvili lost his life on the Luge at the tender age of 21. We let out sympathetic groans when world class athletes see their Olympic dreams vanish in one split second with one bad fall or a missed shot.
Most importantly, when we are watching the Vancouver Olympics as a family we talk to each other about fun exciting things that have nothing to do with school, work, finances or chores and that is a beautiful thing for family time. Even if it is just for a few weeks, we can all use a break from the usual bickering and enjoy rooting for the same team.
Conversation with the kids and spouse is important, we all realize this. Sometimes we just try to hard to make it meaningful or resort to silence if we can't think of anything "important" to say. We become that family at the dinner table who are not engaged with one another or are texting at the table. We forget that talking about even the simple things in life protects the important connection that family members have and feel with one another.
Watching the Olympics together is a wonderful opportunity to get back to what matters: communication. You may be sitting on the couch watching the women's Freestyle Skiing and debating which athlete had the best run--some in my household mistakenly think the Canadian Jennifer Heil deserved gold--but what you are really doing is spending quality time, pointing out common interests, enjoying something that connects you, and sending a message that says, "I like listening to your opinions and have fun sharing, or in our case disagreeing, with you."
Tune in today to catch Curling on NBC. Check the Daily Buzz Cheat Sheet for the five must-see events.
More fun family ways to enjoy the Olympics:
Download the Medal Count App from Apple to keep track of your team.
Throw a Canadian themed Olympic party.
Take this Winter Olympic Trivia test.
Make gold medal pancakes.
