Kick it and Run!

That was my chant last night as I was trying to help six little 5-year-olds learn how to dribble a soccer ball!  Yes, I’m a soccer mom to the nth degree and now a soccer coach!  I LOVE soccer!  I played for fun as a child and played competitively in high school.  My two brothers, who are four and five years younger than me, started playing as soon as they were old enough to walk and I always played with them. 

So, now I have a child of my own and she kind of likes soccer too.  I have to say “kind of” because the jury is still out on whether or not she truly likes it.  I promise, I will never be the kind of mother who MAKES her child do something (speaking strictly about hobbies) that she doesn’t enjoy.  I want to nurture the things she likes.  However, I will be the kind of parent who strongly encourages and gives every opportunity for my child to learn and appreciate certain things.  I think soccer is one of those things I need to push a bit. 

Case and point—Gabbie played YMCA soccer for the first time last spring.  While she was incredibly excited about it in theory, the reality of it was somewhat disappointing.  During practice, my daughter spent more time picking flowers (weeds) and rolling around in the grass than learning the basic fundamentals.  During the games, she was far more interested in water breaks and the snack after the game than in actually PLAYING the game.  Oh, it was maddening!!!  To make matters worse, when she actually PLAYED the game, she was really good.  She runs at lightning speeds while maintaining excellent ball control.  To top it off, she has a healthy competitive spirit and loves to score goals--- WHEN SHE’S NOT OFF IN THE FIELD PICKING FLOWERS (WEEDS)!!!!!

So, the lackluster first season has come and gone and I chalked it all up to the short attention span of a 4-year-old thinking surely the next year she’ll have much better focus.  This season, I thought I’d actually coach the team (last year I observed and helped out where I could), and see if I could nurture a little more love for the game.  So, our first practice went well.  Gabbie only wandered off 3-4 times and just flat out sat down during one of our ball drills complaining she was tired.  That’s not a terrible start.  By the way, I have six (mine included) really adorable kids on my team who have some pretty good skills.

So, the 2008 season is off to a promising start.  One more encouraging note about Gabbie--every time I threaten to yank her from the sport, she insists she wants to play and will do better.  That’s why I’m pushing ever so slightly.  I think the enjoyment for the game really is there and perhaps given a little more time may turn into all out passion for the game—like I have.  We’ll see and I’ll keep you posted as the season unfolds.

At the very least, she’ll always be my little superstar even if she does require a few extra water, snack and flower (weed)-picking breaks!

Peace, love and joy--Carrie