Hero

So what's going on with athletes? Dog fighting, sexual assault, drugs, weapons charges, domestic abuse... Is this kind of behavior a reflection of society as a whole? I don't know. Is it the fame or money, or would this kind of thing happen regardless of the notariety? Man, I just don't know.

I grew up with heroes on the playing field. I was the kid in the back yard with the nerf football with my friends replaying two minute drills by our favorite players who we'd see on TV on Sundays. Yeah, I was out practicing pitching with my dad, thinking that I could be the next great star for the Minnesota Twins. That's right, it was me at the end of the driveway, throwing up the last second half court shot and winning the game. It was me dreaming about being that guy... The special one who everyone loved and looked up to. The one who's probably wearing handcuffs and meeting with his team of lawyers these days.

Here's the problem... I want my kids to have heroes. I really want them to have fun in the back yard, imagining hitting the walk off home run, sinking the winning shot, or scoring that deciding touchdown. To take it one step farther, I don't know what professional out there is worthy of my the adulation that Goobs or the Bun might give them. I've got no trust anymore. I want to be a believer, but it's just too hard. Even the clean cut guy autographing baseballs is probably going back to his hotel room with somene who isn't his wife. It's official... I'm disillusioned.

I was thinking about Filipino sports heroes for my kids, but that seems kind of a losing battle also. My mother-in-law loves Manny Pacquaio. The whole country shuts down when the Pac Man fights...Heck everybody loves him. He was almost elected... Of course, I'm from Minnesota and we elected a former professional wrestler as governor, so I cannot claim any kind of superiority. Despite the fact that he is loved by filipinos, I have read stories in newspapers regarding his behavior in bars-trashing them. I don't think I want my son or daughter looking up to him as an idol. We can cheer him when he fights, but that's as far as I want it to go. The other guy folks seem to rally around is "Bata" Reyes. I haven't read or heard anything negative at all about him, but I just don't want my son getting ideas and spending all of his hours at a pool hall, sharpening his skills. I have visions of him meeting all sorts of unsavory characters as he practices. Nope, that's not the environment I want Goobs or the Bun spending their formative years.

I want my kids outsides and involved with sports to stay healthy and well balanced. Maybe they'll just enjoy the idea of participating and not get caught up in all the hoopla of sports. Part of the problem is that I do love sports. In the past, I've planted my butt in front of the TV on Sundays and been a sedentary mass on the sofa. J hates the fall because of football. I guess I turn into a butthead on Sundays in the fall (something I need to work on) I'm starting to get more involved with outdoor sports that people participate in- fun runs, next step is a sprint triathlon-It's too late in the summer to do one this year, but I am really excited about the exercise. My step sister, her husband and I were talking yesterday about doing a sprint triathlon together next summer. Those ideas do get me fired up.

We are taking the kids to the gym. They have a day care facility and we'd like them to see that mommy and daddy are exercising on a regular basis. We talked about that and decided that we do want to be good examples to our kids. Maybe the idea isn't to have professional athletes as heroes. I'm beginning to think that a kid seeing his or her mom or dad drag themselves across a finish line for a local event and cheering is as good as it gets. J and I can be the heroes. After all...mom and dad feed them, bathe them, tuck them in, and give them love. There's no more heroic behavior than that.