Keys to Success

Recently, while chatting about role models and the recent highly publicized scandals in the NFL, someone told me that being a parent these days was the “most difficult job in the world.” She described to me just how much her 11-year-old son followed his favorite team and idolized his favorite players. “He wears their jersey and paints his face on Sundays, “ she said. “He even has a fake helmet that he wears to bed sometimes.”

I didn’t think much about it at first, as none of this behavior is irrational or uncommon here in Football America. Millions of little boys grow up worshipping the warriors of the gridiron and wanting to be them. However, that’s when the conversation took a different turn as this mother told me that she’d been a victim of domestic violence a few years back. She next told me her son’s favorite team (Ray Rice’s Baltimore Ravens), and I began to understand.

While that sinks in, let me tell you another tale about a 3rd grade girl lying in a hospital bed on Christmas Day. She’s been admitted after displaying symptoms that include extreme thirst and hunger, excessive urination, rapid weight loss, dizziness and frequent vomiting. Her mom, dad and brother are by her side, watching and waiting for the doctor. He comes in, speaking with her parents about her diagnosis.

Her pancreas was no longer functioning properly, and she needed synthetic insulin simply to survive. She’d been diagnosed with Type I diabetes, and her family’s lives were forever changed. A month’s supply of insulin can cost as much as $400 and costs for additional test strips (for monitoring blood-sugar levels), infusion sets, insulin pump, etc., can add up to thousands of dollars a year, every year. Still, her mom never blinked and that sick little girl is now a healthy 24 year old and helping sponsor a free indoor diabetes camp this month at Premier Sports Center.

Now you might be asking yourself what these stories have in common? Quite simply put, they’re about heroes. Not the kind of heroes who tackle on Sundays, but the kind that supports her son’s passion for a team even though it serves as a reminder of a former abusive relationship. The kind of hero who never leaves her daughter’s side, sleeping on a cot by her hospital bed for four straight days and helping her learn to not only live with diabetes, but also thrive with it.

Research shows that, even with influences such as the NFL, social media, and peer pressure, the biggest impact in a child’s life still comes from home. Yet if you ask most children who their heroes are, my guess is they’ll reply with a famous celebrity, sports figure or movie star. That’s why I challenge you to thank your parents when you sit down to Thanksgiving dinner this year. And before you flip on the tube and watch some football, remember that November is also a time to thank and remember our Veterans. Just as with our parents, they understand what it means to sacrifice.

So thank a Vet the next time you read about an NFL player testing positive or getting arrested. Thank your coaches and your grandparents the next time you feel disgusted by this week’s most recent scandal. Thank those who loved, mentored and protected you. Most importantly, if you’re a parent, remember to thank yourself and give due credit. After all, you do have the most difficult job in the world.

Landon Johnston is the Director of Premier Sports Center, a non-profit indoor sports facility in Post Falls. For more information about the 1st Ever Indoor Diabetes Camp on Nov. 15th contact him at landon@premiersportscenter.org.

#sports #local #lifecommunity