I can’t say I was shocked at this week’s news that Olympic swimming sensation Michael Phelps had been caught with his lips attached to a marijuana pipe.
It did, however, cause quite a stir among the middle school set who gather at my home each morning for the walk to school.
Their reaction ranged from “what a loser,” to total indignation to a “who really cares” shrug.
Hollywood idols, politicians and our financial leaders behaving badly has become a common phenomenon.
Having your face on a cereal box, a national ballot or even on the side of a New York high-rise clearly is not an indicator of good behavior, and kids are catching on to this.
So what’s a parent to do in order to restore the faith in the hearts of our pint-sized cynics?
Here are a couple of ideas.
How about introducing them to Bernard “Doc” Mann? He’ll turn 100 this year and has spent most of his adult life mentoring children in the Bangor area. Whether he’s sitting across the chessboard patiently counseling a 10-year-old opponent at the Bangor Y or the William S. Cohen School, or learning and then voluntarily teaching sign language to any kid willing to learn, Mann most certainly has changed the life direction of numerous Bangor area children.
Perhaps you could introduce them to the work of the late Barbara Eames, who along with Maria Brountas started a group called Pathfinders that provides needed grief support for children and their caregivers who are mourning a loved one.
Once a week children of all ages gather at a local church to find comfort with other kids who have experienced loss.
Grab last week’s paper from the recycling bin and have them read the story about the deployment of the Army National Guard’s 286th combat unit to Afghanistan. That unit is commanded by Diana Dunn of Glenburn, who is the first female commander of an Army unit headed to Iraq or Afghanistan. Once there, she will assume leadership of 600 American troops.
She’ll be deployed for a year, leaving behind three children and a husband who works two jobs.
In the world of athletics, how about Greely High School basketball player Sam Thompson, who earlier this week gave up his place on the starting lineup to team manager Patrick Thibodeau? For four years Thibodeau, who has Down syndrome, has been a dedicated team manager. This week his dream to play in a real game came true when Thompson volunteered his spot and Thibodeau took to the court in front of a gym full of fans. He scored five points, including a three-pointer. There were all kinds of heroes in that story.
There are thousands and thousands of adults across this state who spend countless hours coaching or refereeing youth athletic teams. Those same people rake the fields, smooth the ice and sweep the courts.
As the basketball season wraps up, take time to remind your kids about the time and patience put in by their own coach and make sure that there are thanks involved.
The stories of community service and selflessness do not always make huge headlines, but the stories are there just the same.
We just need to make sure our kids see them.