Michael?S Mistake: Eight Ways To Turn The Michael Phelps Pot Scandal Into A Valuable Teaching Moment For Your Kids
commitments are made, things change. As a result of his superstar status, Michael is paid millions of dollars as the spokesperson for big brands like Speedo, Kellogg’s, and Subway. He is also a favorite speaker at elementary schools and naturally is the most recognized face of the U.S. Swim Team. There is nothing wrong with that. He has achieved extraordinary levels of success in his sport and he is entitled to reap the benefits that come from those accomplishments. The problem lies with the responsibility he had to maintain his good image and make good choices, because the brands he represents market to adults AND children. When you endorse products that are popular with kids, no matter what your image clause says, you have to remember that you are presenting yourself as a role model to kids-someone they look up to and someone whose actions they imitate. Phelps should have thought about that.
A great way to explain this concept to your kids is to tell them that it’s no different from running for student council at school, or joining the Girl Scouts. When they become a part of a bigger organization, they immediately become a representative for that organization, and it’s their responsibility to represent the organization well. When you take on a title, or wear a uniform, you’re making a promise to that organization that you will represent it in a positive way. Through his recent actions, Phelps broke his promise to the brands he represents, the children he’s spoken to, and the U.S. Swim Team. His actions are a great way to reiterate to your children what it means to be trusted and what it means to have integrity.
Teach them how their decisions affect other people. When we make mistakes, it can be easy to forget that we aren’t the only ones affected by the ensuing fallout. In Phelps’s case his decision had far-reaching ramifications. Everyone from his fans, the companies that sponsored him, his teammates and coaches to his own mother was forced to endure the negative effects of the scandal. Talk to your kids about thinking before they act, and remind them that their actions can affect people outside of their inner circle.
Sit down with your kids and have them make a list of all the people in their lives: friends, family, teachers, and coaches and explain to them how their bad decisions can negatively affect the people on their list. Explain to your daughter that if she gets in trouble at school, her bad choices affect more than just her. Explain that you as her parents would be disappointed, and her teacher’s good opinion of her would be tarnished. And if she’s grounded she wouldn’t be able to fulfill her commitments to her soccer teammates and coaches. When they start to think about the broad affects their choices can have, they will be more likely to stop and think more carefully about their own actions.
Explain that they may not be famous, but people are watching them, too. As with most celebrities today, Michael Phelps has been followed by cameras and reporters on a regular basis since his enormous success last summer. As it turned out, it wasn’t a paparazzo’s camera that caught him in a compromising situation-it was a camera phone, presumably belonging to a peer who was attending the same party. While your son may not be facing paparazzi on his way to class, or have to deal with media scrutiny over what he had for lunch, it’s important to make the case that people are watching his actions, and that they can make a bigger statement about who he is than anything he will ever say publicly.
Kids watch one another closely, and they notice the things that happen when no one else is watching. Explain to your son that the decisions he makes each day, and the way that he carries himself at school, on the soccer field, and even at home impacts those around him. Teach him to strive for setting a good example at all times. Even if no one notices 99 percent of the time, it will set him up for success when someone does take notice.
Teach your kids that it’s NOT all relative. Celebrity news is more popular than ever, and you can hardly turn on the television or check out at the grocery store without being bombarded by the latest celebrity scandal. It’s unfortunate, but after seeing repeated trips to rehab, allegations of steroid use and domestic violence, and other incidents of open drug use, your kids may be desensitized to news like this and may even think it’s not a big deal. When you talk to them, make sure that they understand that what Michael Phelps did was wrong; no matter how much more press the A-Rod steroid scandal may be receiving.
Just because smoking pot isn’t the worst celebrity offense out there doesn’t make it any less serious. In fact, it’s sad that the bar is so low that you can quickly find worse offenses from celebrities. Now is the time to explain to your kids that wrong is