“There’s only one way to succeed in anything and that is to give everything.” Vince Lombardi

You probably followed the Olympics at least to some extent. If you have children, maybe you prepared the Games at home, celebrating the Olympic spirit with some crafts, games and food. And I’m sure you set the athletes as an example of the motivation and inspiration to your kids. Even of following the dreams no matter what. There were quite a few examples of courage and determination, that go beyond normal sports competition.

But could we give a wrong message? Do you agree that maybe some dreams are out of the reach? And that sometimes they just take more than they give?

Let me explain. I watched Petra Majdic (being from my country, I watched even closer) ski-running. She was well prepared for the medal and she expected to get at least one. But then she fell and broke 4 ribs. She decided to compete anyway and managed to reach bronze medal, but after reaching the finish line, she collapsed with not only broken ribs but also punctured lungs. She was transferred to the hospital immediately.

Now that everything turns out just fine (although the season is finished for her) it looks like a brave thing to do. And that it was worth to take the risk. But what if she died during the race?

Would you allow your child to risk his own life to achieve something? Not risk like an accident, they can happen everywhere, but knowing that he gambles with life?

I know there are a lot of people put in the situations (even unintentionally) that can harm them and that a lot of world discoveries and inventions would never be available to us if there were no men who risked their lives. I am not saying you should stop trying or doing something, but where do you draw the line between risk and “risk”? 

This may sound just the opposite of encouraging the children to dream and reach for the imposible, but where is the limit? When do you stop?