Being the mother of four boys, every day was Olympic Day for me when they were growing up. Here are the highlights of some of the Olympic events that took place in our home over the years:
Broad Jump: What a child did as he vaulted down the stairs to the kitchen for breakfast, bounding over the last five steps.
Pole vaulting: Leaping into midair to smack the wall above a door frame with hands that have just held a dripping jelly donut, to see if his fingerprints are higher than the ones previously left by his brother.
Diving: Realizing a tad too late that nose diving off the top of a swing set with an open umbrella doesn’t bode very well for the jumper.
Speed Skating: Deftly accomplished by a child running full throttle and then sliding across a wooden floor in stockinged feet.
Weight lifting: Hoisting a brother (usually a younger one) up in the air while bellowing “TATTLETALE!!”
Shot put: The event where one child throws an object (usually round and resembling a baseball) at another brother’s head, said object being thrown at the velocity of a speeding bullet.
100 meter dash: One brother running after a fleeing sibling while screaming “GIVE IT BACK!!”
Fencing: Carried out by a snapping motion with a rolled up towel rather than an epee.
Wrestling: Four boys. Need I say more???
Fortunately, their mother was an Olympic gold medal winner in boxing. Ear boxing to be exact.