Dan: I cannot get enough of the Olympics! Unfortunately, the games are late at night having recorded and live segments between 8 and midnight on the east coast, but I stay up. Sports can either be beneficial or terrible to kids and adults. It can be viewed as something that is an avenue for winning or as something where people can compete and gain confidence and self esteem. I truly believe in the second but I personally feel that the first is a more common viewpoint.

The point of the Olympics is for athletes to represent their countries in honest sport. However, I cannot go anywhere without hearing the Phelps saga and how he does not even know where his gold medals are anymore. I feel as if the media has drawn away from the true competitive nature of the Olympics and why Olympians are truly there.

My gift recommendation to parents are to get your kids involved in sports. Either through lessons or on a local club and please teach them that winning is not the greatest part of sport.

Grace: Hmmm, I’m kind of on the fence about this gift idea. I agree that kids should be encouraged to play sports and learn all about being part of a team and whatnot, but at the same time, I definitely wouldn’t force my child into it. I’ve never really liked playing sports all that much because of their overly competitive nature. Not to mention, sometimes teammates can be very cruel to each other. My parents pushed lots of sports on me when I was younger, but the only one I really took to was one that I’d loved all my life and found on my own, horseback riding (which, ironically, I received as a birthday gift!) Even then there were times where the competition between riders was ridiculous and cruel, such as sabotaging others riding equipment and even horse. For this gift, I would recommend really listening to your child because this could either be a great experience or it could be traumatic.