Being a mom is an amazing, blissful and rewarding experience filled with amor, paciencia, y…yah, yah, yah let’s talk about the real stuff. Being a mom is tough. With a 10 and 5 year old and 10 month old, I would know! Showering is a treat, my chances of reading a book are close to those of winning the lottery and sleep is something I’m looking forward to along with retirement. But one of my biggest challenges, especially as a tween mom, is sacrificing what I want for what my child needs. And I’m not talking about the physical desires mentioned above but the emotional need to protect your child at all times.
The eldest two kids and I
For example, my mother, la abuela, and I sit in the corner of the karate classroom every Monday and Wednesday evening holding our breathe as my two eldest children give and receive punches and kicks. If it was up to us, the kids would never be in any sports. But because the benefits of extracurricular activities and athletics far out weigh any bruising or minor injury, we allow ourselves to be emotionally stressed.
Ondina and Steven
Ondina Lopez is a mom who knows exactly what I am talking about. The mother of Steven, Jean, Mark and Diana – all world elite level athletes in Taekwondo, Ondina has had many moments where she had to sacrifice her desire to protect her children in order to allow them to succeed. And if she hadn’t, they wouldn’t of reached the level of success that they have. Steven, Mark and Diana made history in 2005 by winning gold at the World Taekwondo Championships and Steven and Diana are competing in the London 2012 Olympic Games!
Crest & Oral-B Complete help give Taekwondo fighter Steven López the confidence to show off his healthy, winning smile. López, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and bronze medalist will be competing in the 80kg division at this year’s Games. Crest & Oral-B Complete have also partnered with Steven’s mother, Ondina López, to highlight the importance a mom’s support can play in an athlete’s success.
As Odina’s story illustrates, allowing your children freedom to flourish is a great thing. Watching the smile on my daughter’s face as she received her yellow stripes in karate made the memory of those hours of worrying disappear. Of course there are MANY things that I am not ready to allow my tween daughter to do but as she ages I have to put aside my fears more and more and let her grow.
Maddy, my tween, showing off her Karate Yellow Stripes
To learn more about P&G Oral Care Olymic Games partnership, please “Like” Crest on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/crest).
This is part of a sponsored campaign with with Crest and Latina Mom Bloggers. However, all opinions expressed are my own.
