By Rob Wrubel, CFP®
The Olympics rarely left my TV screen during the first two weeks of August. The beach volleyball stadium with the Eiffel Tower in the background was an amazing site even between matches. I just had to tune in for the triathlon event to see the competitors jump in the Seine and swim around Paris’ historic bridges. I spent too much of my free time watching everything from kayak to basketball, badminton to break dancing and, of course, soccer, track and field, gymnastics and swimming. Who knew table tennis was so intense?
While watching, I heard several times that US gold medal winners took home $37,500 for each medal and that silver and bronze winners were paid as well. That’s a nice day’s pay but it won’t be remembered near as much as that piece of gold, silver or bronze hanging on the wall for the rest of an athlete’s life.
How does a person even travel home with a gold medal? It seems strange to wear it home but there’s no way I’d check it in my bag from Paris to Colorado. Well, not a problem I will have and I’m sure the athletes are OK figuring it out.
When I talk about planning for the future for our family members with a qualified disability, I usually talk about financial planning – tax, estates, investments, insurance and goals. The biggest driving factor in all of this is our desire, as parents and caregivers, to ensure a safe, stable and fulfilling future for our family members. There’s real money at stake and you want to have plans in place.
We also want that gold medal feeling, that chest-swelling pride that comes from greatness. I envision how the athletes feel walking around Paris, then the airport and their hometowns with that hardware around their necks knowing they’ve done something big and bursting with a feeling of success.
The feeling must be a mix of pride, accomplishment, joy and relief. It comes from knowing that passion, hard work, diligence and focus have paid off. I think all the Olympians have this feeling as they go through life even if there’s not medal sitting at home. Of all the billions of people on earth, they are among a select few who competed in the Olympics.
As parents and family members, we can create moments to look back on to say, “That was awesome!” We do not have a time every four years to focus our attention, a podium to gain recognition or a crowd cheering us on but we can certainly find ways to create moments and cherish them forever.
I watched more than a few track events where competitors in the 4th, 5th and 6th positions had personal bests or set their national records. Those runners did not head home with a medal but they will know they went their hardest and earned the right to be called an Olympian.
Take a few minutes to think about your personal bests of parenting.
My family and I turned one week into “New Orleans Food Week.” We made etouffee and po’ boys, listened to New Orleans blues and jazz and watched Disney’s “The Princess and the Frog.” A great week.
I helped my daughter with Down syndrome write college essays and prepare for her interviews. She nailed the interview and went way beyond the prep work. That time in that room watching her sparkle was a gold medal round for me – the years of encouragement and time came together for a shining moment.
My daughter loved having lemonade stands and I was able to go from sitting with her, to sitting on my porch to being able to stay inside while she took care of the customers. That set of steps to help her with independence was well rewarded when she came running inside, beaming, as she handed me a $20 bill. And was rewarded again when she came in equally excited and handed me a $1 bill. It was the interactions, the independence and the social connections that made her day and it was a moment I will remember always.
Parenting does not come with gold medal ceremonies. We get the hard work, the stress, the doubt of the future. We get the pursuit of a future that will be uncertain as we put money into retirement accounts, build connections with service nonprofits and focus our efforts on advocacy in schools, workplaces, living spaces and community groups.
This was an exciting Olympic year in Paris. I am not going to wait for the next one to get excited about medals, moments and my family. My personal bests and gold medal ceremonies (OK, yes in my head) will keep coming as I celebrate and enjoy being a Dad of a daughter with special needs.
This article is not intended as investment advice or representative of any specific investment strategy. Consult with your legal, tax and investment team before taking any action.
