Kids are the great imitators

Sporting News, The, July 19, 2004 by J.C. Watts, Jr.

I'm moving my family to Virginia. The bulk of my post-Congressional business dealings still originate in our nation's capital, and it just makes sense to make that temporary move. This arrangement will allow me to spend less time catching airplanes and more time catching Z's in my own bed. Lest anyone interpret this as the Watts clan abandoning the Sooner state, think again. As the words to the OU fight song say (yes, there are words besides "Boomer Sooner!"), "I'm a Sooner born and a Sooner bred, and when I die, I'll be Sooner dead." We'll be home often and will keep our residence in McIntosh County, Okla.

I share that as a preface to a story about a going-away party my son's friends threw for him. They held it at the Family Life Center (that's Okie for gymnasium) of a local church, and 56 of his friends and their parents were on hand to send my 13-year-old son off in style. It was an evening I'll never forget. There was a sense of family and community in that facility that I never experienced during eight years in Congress.

Fifty-six kids. We pretty much took over the place. It was an overwhelming display of affection for a great kid. Friendship and innocence were the rules of the evening. They just wanted to get together for one more night and bid my son farewell--to say, "We love you, bud, and we're going to miss you." Throughout the evening, we watched and laughed along as the kids played H-O-R-S-E, pinball, foosball and pingpong.

I've often accused parents of occasionally messing up the fun for kids, but the beauty of the evening was that none of the parents bothered to remind anyone that there were people of different color in the room, or that some of us might worship in different ways than others. Nor, of course, did any of the kids. You see, children have a way of looking past their differences that adults could well learn from.

Athletics can teach us much of the same thing. I've always wanted my kids to be associated with athletics--whether they are on the first team or third team--for what sports usually teach. Teamwork. Unselfishness. Camaraderie. Paying the price. That many mountains aren't as tall as they seem. Want proof? Just ask the Detroit Pistons.

Sadly, as all children do, these kids will one day lose their innocence. It could be the day they learn their favorite athlete juiced up his sports drink. It could come the day a teammate suggests they juice up their own sports drink. One day, they'll learn about the magic of sandpaper and thumbtacks hidden inside the pitcher's glove. If they haven't already, these kids will learn that steroids will make their muscles bigger.

But at this age, it's still the joy of being a kid, and the love of the game for my son and his friends. Kids at this age are still pretty impressionable.

And to whom much is given, much is required. While I think I understood Charles Barkley when he rather artlessly said years ago that he should not be considered a role model to kids, high-profile athletes such as Barkley, Barry Bonds, Tom Brady and Kobe Bryant can't run from that responsibility. They are watched by millions and imitated by countless young admirers. When some kid says, "I want to be like Mike," it is not because Mike is a great guy; it's because of his 360-degree slam dunks and gravity-defying displays on the court. An athlete's performance makes him a hero to kids. That's the way life is. That's reality to a kid.

In my column a couple of months ago, I noted that we sometimes confuse the term "celebrity" with "hero." Celebrities are famous for being famous; heroes change lives. That distinction is lost on most of the kids I saw at the Family Life Center. Ultimately, parents have the responsibility to instill the right values in their kids. My children and most of those at the party are blessed to have both a mom and dad at home. I sadly acknowledge that is far too uncommon in today's world. Nevertheless, parents can't shun their responsibility to teach hard work, fair play and teamwork to their children.

That goes in Norman, Okla., Washington, D.C., or anywhere else.

J.C. Watts, a former U.S. representative from Oklahoma and quarterback for the Oklahoma Sooners, is chairman of J.C. Watts Companies. E-mail him at jcwatts@sportingnews.com.