The Special Olympics is Tough Stuff
When the folks from P&G asked me to write a series of blog posts about their relationship with the Moms of Special Olympians I replied pretty quickly with Sure. I thought it would be easy to talk to y’all about how P&G supports The Special Olympics, most specifically the Moms. It’s the easiest ask in the world, every time you leave a comment, like or share the Thank You Mom campaign on facebook Procter and Gamble will donate a dollar (up to $250,000) to support Team USA’s journey to Athens.
No brainer, slam dunk.
But it hasn’t been easy. I’ve written and deleted a half dozen posts because I’m scared to write the wrong thing. I’ve been terrified of writing the wrong thing about the families or the kids. Which is actually a really great example of how The Special Olympics benefits us all. I don’t know how I’m supposed to talk about someone else’s child who has special needs.
This is a discussion worth having, but it isn’t one that I’d be initiating here if I wasn’t involved with the Special Olympics. It’s an issue I’d have continued to sidestep and avoid because I am terrified of being hurtful. When the Special Olympics come around it’s like we all have these athletes to cheer for, and they’re all our heroes and Moms like me can ask questions that we might not otherwise find the words for.
I guess what I’m hoping for here is input from all of you. Many of you have children who are competing in the Special Olympics. How does a mom like me keep her foot out of her mouth? How do I tell you how very much I admire you without sounding patronizing or like I pity you? How can a blogger like me, support a community like yours?