Olympic Gold

I was thrilled to be a part of a round-table discussion with 5 time Olympic Gold Medalist Janet Evans, Johnson & Johnson, and five other mommy bloggers – Heather Armstrong (dooce), Jill (Sillican Valley Moms), Kari (The Karianna Spectrum), Jennifer (Snapshot), and Dawn (Because I Said So).

Even though I was nervous to be talking to such an icon, Janet is so sweet and loves to talk about her daughter, Sydney, so I was soon at ease. The six of us “Mommy Bloggers” each came to the table with a few questions for Janet. The following is what I gleaned from the discussion.

Janet learned how to swim when she was two-years-old, just to be pool safe, but she showed real talent. When she was 12 she told her parents she wanted to go the Olympics. Determination came from within, but she couldn’t have done it without her parents. Knowing that a balanced life was important, her parents kept her grounded and normal. “My parents deserve the gold medals, not me,” Janet says, “they are the reason why I won.”

Among her list of accomplishments in swimming, the Olympics, and world records, Janet is also a wife, mother, author, and motivational speaker. In addition to chatting about her childhood, what an influential part of her career her parents were, and the importance of having goals, Janet gushed about her life as a busy mommy to 20-month-old Sydney and told us that she wants to focus on being a good wife and mom.

Janet was a contestant on Celebrity Circus, but was voted off last night. She says that it was an empowering and positive experience and she did it to show Sydney that she can be anything she wants to be. While she was disappointed that she was voted off, Janet looks forward to having more time to spend with her daughter.

Most recently Janet Evans made a camio appearance in Johnson’s animated short Baby Champions, as a way to thank moms everywhere for the love and care they’ve provided to help their children achieve their goals.

This summer Janet will be attending the Olympic games in Beijing, on behalf of Johnson & Johnson. She gets to hang out with “Olympic Moms” as a way to encourage them and thank them for all of the time and energy they put into their champion children. She also hopes that she can be an encouragement to young people by being a positive role model.

Here’s the advice she gave to moms who want to help their children become champions:

• Parents are naturally intuitive. Show tough love and encouragement. Sometimes your child might need a little push, but don’t be a “stage mom”.
• Teach your kids how to set goals. Find what they desire to see and be and help them reach those goals.
• Show them that as long as they do their best they are going to be a champion, but doing their best doesn’t always mean winning.

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