27/07/2021
Simone Biles came on the TV screen.
My husband commented to our girls - “She’s the world’s greatest gymnast”.
I added, “and she’s really brave”.
My 5yo looked at me and asked, “why?”
So I told her.
“Because the American gymnasts used to have a team doctor, who turned out to be a tricky person. He was touching the girls’ private parts. For the girls it was so scary to tell anyone. They didn’t know if anyone would believe them and they were scared they’d lose their spot on the team.
But Simone Biles was one of the girls who spoke up and said what had been happening, and now that tricky doctor is in jail”.
I could see she was still listening, so I added,
“And now, she’s got her own Gymnastics centre, where they make sure the kids are all safe, where their parents can easily watch over them, and they are spoken to kindly instead of being yelled at, which is what lots of coaches do, but it’s not ok”.
My daughter didn’t respond.
She got out of her chair, and watched every moment of Simone Biles’ routine.
⬆️ Teachable moments about body safety and children’s rights are everywhere.
Take them.
(Photo from the Team USA Instagram page, Getty Images).
** Editing to add: please know that this post was never intended as a history lesson. I’ve written word for word what I said to my 5yo - I did my best to simplify the story for her, and I represented that here.
Simone Biles was not the first athlete to speak out, she spoke out later - I don’t think this makes her less brave. People go through their own journeys and speak up in their own time. She has kept showing up. She has pressed for change. All of this is brave beyond measure.
If you haven’t heard the story, or want more information, please watch the documentary Athlete A. Or just Google it. You can find all the details just about everywhere.
The response to this post has been overwhelming.
I hope the key point was clear: Seize the moments to talk to your kids. Be open. There are age-appropriate ways to talk about everything. They are ready for more than you think.
