Olympian Danielle Lawrie’s 7-year-old daughter Madison learned the hard way that training for the Olympics is no joke.
Lawrie, 34, is a mother of two and a member of the Canadian softball team that will compete in the Tokyo games later this month. While training at home, Lawrie said Madison always wants to join in but then quickly realizes she’s made a mistake.
MORE: Allyson Felix and Athleta team up to cover childcare costs for athlete moms“She realizes she’s over her head within 3 minutes in every single time,” Lawrie says. “She starts breathing super heavy, and the tears start to come out, and she starts to say she can’t do it. That’s where I come in and completely change the way she’s supposed to think about it. You can do it, it’s hard but we can finish, we do not give up.”
Lawrie posted a hilarious and heartwarming video of their training session to her Instagram that has gotten thousands of views.
“I love that a video like this is gaining some momentum because to me raising strong kids is the best way,” Lawrie said. “The world is already tough, so why not make our kids even tougher to be able to handle whatever is to come? Pushing through adversity and not allowing your children to give up is pushing them to believe in themselves even when they didn’t think it was possible.”
Lawrie says even though there are often tears, she knows Madison will never stop being her workout buddy.
MORE: First-generation college graduate says she 'manifested' making Olympic team“Maddie will 100% work out with me again in the future. It will be our thing,” Lawrie said. “She’s so proud when she’s done. …She loves me telling her how proud I am of her, and I make it a priority to always make her feel like the most badass chick in the room.”
This will be Lawrie’s second Olympic Games with team Canada and her first as a mother. After competing in the 2008 games and retiring, she decided to start training again in 2017 to see if she could get to one more games.
“I’m so proud that she’s gotten to see me grind the way I have because it’s opened that door for her,” Lawrie said. “If momma can do it… you surely can.”
