We love the Olympics. It is a strange anomaly for a family who keeps their television on a rolling cart in the back of the closet, to watch obscure sporting events at random hours of the day. Normally we prefer to read books or tinker with projects or play card games, but for two weeks every two years, we break out the little used Samsung from its hiding place and let it occupy a spot in the corner of the living room for the duration.
Partly, it is nostalgia that compels us – my wife and I spent many hours our first summer together eating raw cookie dough while watching the Atlanta games until well past three in the morning. Additionally, as homeschoolers, the Olympics provide us fantastic geography lesson opportunities. That does not mean we favor the way NBC likes to season its coverage with geopolitical cheerleading, attempting to make every speed skating race a soulful struggle for something more than simply the finish line; for us, it’s usually just about sports and American pride. This year, however, it means a little bit more.
This year it dawned on me that the Olympics are practically the only time my daughters get to see women competing in professional sports. We watch football. No women there. It made my heart ache a little then when my nine-year old girl was surprised to learn that women can and do play hockey. Her eyes glowed and she smiled when I explained that not only do our women play hockey, but they just beat the tar out of Sweden and are going to be playing for the gold medal tomorrow morning.
Recently I had a conversation with my sons about the expectations of young men. While responsibility and honesty are requisite, their most important role as men will be to protect and to honor women. This, I explained to them, is not common in the world abroad, but for them it is imperative. When Jesus shattered the paradigms of His culture by speaking to the woman at the well, He modeled for us what Godly manhood looks like. He taught us that women are to be honored, respected, and celebrated. It is what I teach my sons.
And so tomorrow, I will be getting my kids up earlier than usual to watch our ladies hopefully win the ice hockey gold medal over Canada. For my daughters, it is a chance to see themselves in the spotlight, elevated and strong. Not the same as the men of the NFL they are familiar with, but powerful on a different level. For my sons, it is a chance to honor and root for women to succeed; to recognize the value they bring to our culture and our lives. It is also a chance for me to honor my wife, by letting her sleep in until the third period rolls around, and to have the coffee ready.