by Linda Saye

Created on: March 20, 2009

Even as I sit to write this, there is yet another well known athlete in the news who was arrested for driving under the influence and killing a pedestrian as a result. This is the perfect setting for this topic, as my four year old is sitting by his Dad and watching this with him on Sports Center. I wait with anticipation to see what my son is going to say; or ask. A few minutes go by, and my son says, "He really messed up, didn't he?" And there you have it. A crystal clear, unbiased assessment of another human being's actions. Of course, his attention was not fully on the TV, as he was also eating an ice cream bar at the time.

And, so I realize that at a very young age, children do not idolize anyone, except maybe their parents, and do not yet put athletes up high on that unrealistic pedestal. No - sadly - that comes after a few years of adaptation, as society insists on turning athletes into idols to feed our insatiable appetites for fame and celebrity. Watching the two guys in my life devouring all the sports news of the day, I understand that it will not be too long before our very inquisitive child will start asking very tough questions about what he is seeing and hearing.

I also realize that the whole subject of athletes taking drugs - whether recreational or for performance enhancement - is very complicated, indeed. When the questions start coming, our answers will depend on how much our child understands about drugs; what they are, and what they can do to your body. Thankfully, right now, he knows nothing about drugs and alcohol. But, it's never too late, at the very least, to start the conversation about making poor decisions and the difference between right and wrong. And, part of that conversation should be that, regardless of whom you are - athlete or not - you cannot be excused for bad behavior and that there are consequences as a result.

I dread the day that he will actually know more about drugs, but at that time, there will undoubtedly be yet another idolized athlete in the news for taking drugs. I will then have the opportunity to talk to our son about how athletes are human, too. They feel stress, and feel scared just like we do. They feel intense pressure to perform, ironically, because of their idolization. They want to escape just like the rest of us. But, if they make the poor decision to take drugs, they will pay the price just like the rest of us. Maybe even a larger price, because of public scrutiny.

I will also have the opportunity to explain why taking drugs, despite being an athlete or not, is such a poor decision. I will tell him that taking drugs is, in a word, cheating. Drugs rob your body of good health, and often rob you of your life. They deprive your brain of clear thinking and real emotions. They create a false sense of security or happiness. If they are performance drugs, they enable the athlete to cheat their way to world records. Then I will ask him, "And, who wants to idolize someone who not only cheats themselves, but us, too?"

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