Dear Erica,
It's not right that your dad puts you down, but he may not realize how he's hurting you with his comments. He may be afraid that you'll be broken-hearted if you continue to dream of the Olympics and that dream doesn't come true. Tell him that you understand how hard it is to be on an Olympic team, and that you do know that it might never happen. But you want his support as you continue to work toward that goal. At some point, you may need to let go of that dream, but right now you'd like to keep that dream alive. It could become a reality.