Is The Glory Worth The Pain?

Dreaming of Olympic Glory (c) BBC

I put M through torture this week.

I blame the Olympics!

One of the aims of London 2012 was to Inspire a Generation. The vision of Lycra clad superhumans winning gold for Team GB was meant to inspire the slovenly youth of the United Kingdom to get off their settees and try something new instead.

Well it certainly had that effect in our house. Particularly with the sporty spice of the family - 10 year old M.

Since the Olympic flame was extinguished she has joined a cycling club (Laura Trott), thrown herself into Netball, thrashed us all in innumerable running races and expressed a desire to join the school's Hockey club.

It is all fantastically inspiring.

But, Hockey is a game that features sticks and balls.

And sticks and balls do not get along with pearly white, perfectly formed teeth.

So, the responsible parent gets themself online or down to the local sports shop to purchase a piece of brightly coloured rubber called a gum shield.

Said parent then carefully reads the instructions before fitting said shield without a hitch, a tear or a moan.

And said sporty daughter is then ready to plough her sporting furrow to Olympic Gold.

Hah!

Well that's what it says on the box.

That's not what happens in the Dad Etc household when Dad is in charge.

This is what happens when Dad is in charge:

Dad reads the instructions carefully and heats the orange and blue plastic in boiling water until it reaches melting point at which point he rams it into his 10 year old daughter's mouth causing her to writhe and scream.

He then tells her not to worry because "this is what is supposed to happen" and squeezes her cheeks against the molten plastic with one hand whilst forcibly closing her mouth with the other and counting to 20 elephants as she squirms in agony.

Finally, she swills cold water around her mouth and tests the gum shield for fit.

Unfortunately said shield did not stay in place so Dad had to read the instructions again, dump the shield in freshly boiling water and do it all over again.

Sadly, as proved in my post, Why Mum Knows Best, Dads sometimes just get it plain wrong.

I tried twice more with this miracle of modern engineering, each time failing to make the shield stay in place, each time chastising my daughter for not biting hard enough or squirming too much.

Finally, unable to bear it any more, my wife rode in to save the day. She immediately spotted that our little M had a new tooth coming through (how did she know that?) - so was unable to close her mouth properly, scooped her onto her knee and made everything all better.

Dad meanwhile cursed his lack of feminine intuition and retreated to the shed to try to fix something inanimate.

Speak soon
JH

PS I am very delighted to announce that Dad Etc has been shortlisted for the Brilliance in Blogging Family Blogger Award run by Britmums - hence the rather flashy looking button at the top of the Blog. I am up against some very tough competition (15 mummy bloggers and me - it takes a brave man!) so would be eternally in your debt if you felt that this blog was worth a vote. You can vote by clicking on the button above or by clicking here. Thank you so much - and fingers crossed.

Me and Usain Bolt

The Weekend Picture No. 37

It was my birthday last week and one of the treats of the day was the card the children put together for me. They say that those closest to you know you best and I think that the card they created clearly indicates that.

Some may say that Usain and I have little in common.

However, I would disagree and say that you only need look at the picture (and squint a little) and we could almost be twins.

Speak soon (if you can catch me!)

UB

The Weekend Picture No. 28

The Signs of Spring do London. August 2012.

I have chosen this picture as this Weekend's Picture because, as the wind and the rain batter the UK, I think we all need a bit of cheering up.

Do you remember last August?

There were a couple of weeks in the middle of August when the weather was fantastic and when everybody was hungry to talk Olympics to each other.

In the slightly unreal period between the Olympics and the Paralympics we took the kids up to London to take in the sights and absorb some of the heady atmosphere of the city at the centre of the universe.

The girls took a break as we walked alongside the Thames on that balmy summer's evening and I took the opportunity to take this snap.

Just to remind us all that the summer in the UK was pretty fabulous this year.

Speak soon
JH

The Weekend Picture No.17

Mounia Gasmi, Sliver Medallist in the Club Throwing

We were there yesterday at "Super Human Saturday" in the Olympic Park, or Paralympic Park as it is known now.

We were moved by displays of extraordinary courage and determination by athletes of outstanding ability.

We saw Oscar Pistorius look imperious in qualification for the 200 meters final, Jason Smyth ease to victory in the 100m and Liu Fuliang break two world records on the way to the triple jump title.

But my favourite sight of the evening was the bundle of smiles that is Mounia Gasmi, the silver medal winning club thrower from Algeria. Her face told you everything you needed to know about the pride, joy and dedication that goes into paralympic sport.

It will remain with me forever.

In the Olympic Stadium

It was a late night!

Speak soon

JH

Inspired by the Olympics - Be The Best

"Anything's possible ... It's just hard work and grafting." (Farah wins the 5000m)
Photo from The Sun

The Olympics is over!

For 16 days my family and I have been glued to the exploits of the athletes of the world as they have shown us just what the human spirit is capable of. We have oohed at the speed of Usain Bolt, aahed at the courage of the Boxers, Judo and Taekwondo players and welled up as the national anthem filled the stadiums over and over again.

The moment that hit home for many Team GB fans was the evening of the second Saturday as Somali refugee Mo Farah, gold medallist already in the 10,000m, pulled away from the chasing pack and raised his arms in startled jubilation to add the Gold in the 5,000 to his collection. Steve Cram, commentating on the race for the BBC summed it up in one word "Beautiful."

Mo's story is inspirational on so many levels. That a boy can come from nothing to be double Olympic champion speaks to anybody who has ever had a dream or has aspired to be better. He has always been a talented athlete but hit his peak relatively late in his career because it is only in the run up to the London Olympics that he has begun to make the sacrifices necessary to reach the top. He puts his success down to "hard work and grafting."

Inspired to be the Best

Now I am 42 I have finally admitted to myself that I may never become an Olympian after all. My days as a track cyclist are over, my dreams of sailing glory are unlikely (I suffer from sea sickness) and my loosening six pack makes the beach volleyball an unattractive proposition. However, I have been inspired by these Olympics and I wanted to log it here to remind myself - when the days get longer, the telly gets better and life gets harder (usually at the beginnning of November) - just what I wanted to be better at.

I have resolved to be the best that I can be.

The best Dad I can be.
The best Husband I can be.
The best Son I can be.
The best Brother I can be.
The best Friend I can be.

I think the key to this aim will be TIME - or rather the wise use of time.

I know that I waste time - on the internet, on TV, on displacement activities, on watching the world go by - so that will be the main area where I will need to make Farah- type sacrifices so that I can put more time into the people that matter most.

I will also need to put OTHERS FIRST - as you grow up and acquire more life roles it becomes more difficult to strike the right balance (particularly when you stir work into the mix) - and give those important people the time they deserve.

Finally, I also need to do stuff for MYSELF - which sounds contradictory I know - but when you want to give to others it is also important to give to yourself. I don't think all of us fathers do enough for ourselves because of the competing demands we face. So, I have resolved to get fit (9 mile bike ride yesterday) and get back in touch with friends I have lost contact with.

So, the Best Me starts now. I will let you know how it goes.

Have you been inspired by the Olympics? Do you face these same challenges? Do you have any advice for me?

Speak soon
JH

PS - One of the most important legacies of the London Olympics has been for women in sport. For the first time ever, every country sent at least one female athlete to the games. It is particularly significant for Britain because of the superb performances of our female athletes. As a father of 2 girls I will be celebrating this SOON.

The Weekend Picture No. 13

A Generation Inspired?

One of the the aims of this year's Olympics has been to "Inspire a Generation" to get out of their armchairs and try something new.

The younger generation within our household has been inspired to take on cycling. We were at the women's road race last weekend where we saw Britain's Lizzie Armitstead win Silver with a truly gutsy display. That experience has encouraged the two girls to head out on two wheels and pit themselves against the hills of Surrey.

E joined me on such a bike ride earlier this week, only in this case the hill defeated her.

Speak soon
JH

PS - Coming soon ... more "You can tell they're growing up when ..." musings and I ask the question "Could you raise an Olympian?"

The Weekend Picture No.12

Waiting for the Olympic Road Racers 

Olympic fever is sweeping this household.We watched the torch procession when it came to Surrey, the lovely wife and I stayed up until 1am to see the conclusion of the Opening Ceremony and we braved the rain and the wind on Box Hill this morning and afternoon to watch the Women's Road Race.

The Weekend Picture No.11

The 2012 Logo in toast crusts

I love my kids. They have many great qualities. But they are not perfect (an unusual thing for a parent blogger to say I know). One of their most annoying habits is their aversion to crusts. Every morning we have a mountain of crusts cluttering our kitchen table.

This morning, in a spirit of sporting endeavour, I decided to turn their food waste to good use and recreate the London 2012 logo through the medium of discarded crusts.

I hope it gets you in the mood.

Speak soon.
JH