I was a competitive swimmer from the time I was 4 years old, all the way through my freshman year at Brown University. For 15 years of my life, the water was “home” to me. I loved to swim. I loved to compete. I loved putting in the long hours of pool time, weight time and dry land time. It was my passion… and nothing felt better.

I look back now as a mom of 4 little boys and think to myself, “How did my mom do it?”

She was at every single swim meet (and swim meets are hours and hours long).
She was my driver to every morning practice (starting at 4:30AM).
She was my driver to every afternoon practice.
She knew all my times by heart.
She knew all my goals.
She knew swimming inside and out because she knew how much I loved it.

And she did it with a smile, always.

I never made it to the Olympic Games. My swimming journey stopped when I was 19 years old and wanted to focus on school more, but I’ll tell you what… I couldn’t have accomplished what I did without my mother (and father). They were my biggest cheerleaders.

With the 2012 Games around the corner, it’s important to recognize that every athlete has a mother. Literally, behind every amazing athlete, is an even more amazing mom. They help make that dream a reality.

That’s why P&G is the Proud Sponsor of Moms, not just the moms of athletes, but ALL moms around the world. “Mom” as the hardest, but, best job, in the world.

Whether it is waking up before dawn to make breakfast, doing loads and loads of laundry, taking a bus to a child’s practice, or caring for a child’s injuries, one thing is universally true for all mothers on every continent: while being a mom may be the toughest job in the world, it also is the most rewarding job in the world.

I know this is true because I get to be the mom to William, Alexander, Benjamin and Henry.

Thank you P&G for shining the light on moms, and taking the time to allow everyone to thank their mom, or a mom they know for being so remarkable. This video says it perfectly (heads up, grab your tissues!):

Right now if you head over to Thank you, Mom by P&G and “Like” the Facebook page; for every like, P&G will donate $1 to the USOC P&G|Team USA Youth Sports fund, up to $100,000. This is part of a $5MM global commitment P&G has made to support local youth sports in many countries, and it’s absolutely incredible.

Disclosure: Sponsored post.