Soccer

I signed Max up for a very low key soccer team this past month. There are basically two versions of soccer that you can do here - one is longer, is a bit more focused on the technical aspect, and kids wear the full gear. The other is shorter, kids get a t-shirt and it's super low key. Based on our success with baseball last year, I picked the lesser one.

In fact, that's another memory I failed to mention last year (as it all happened during the course of our home selling in Utah and finding a home in Minnesota).

I'll just give the Readers Digest version of baseball game one. Max was so excited for the baseball game to start. His team was in the outfield. He was right at second base. Or in the middle of a long line of teammates that went somewhere between first and third base. The ball was hit, his teammates scrambled to scoop up the ball with their mitt. Just like that, Max realized that he had moved a bit slower than some of his teammates and lost the chance to catch the ball.

I thought he'd just go back and wait for the next one. Nope. He went into complete meltdown, thinking he'd lost his chance to get the ball. "I wanted to catch the ball" He yelled.

And it didn't just happen the first time. Same reaction over and over. Towards the end of the first game, he actually took off his baseball hat, threw it on the ground, and stomped off the field.

So much for the team building concept.

How did the rest of the season go? Well, part of me just wanted to call it quits after the first game, and wait until he was a bit older. But, we'd signed up with a buddy, and I figured, well, I paid for it, we might as well go. And he got better. Sort of. Actually one of the coaches was a stud, and would stand out there with an extra ball or two. When one ball was hit, he'd toss out a few more on the field so multiple kids had a chance to catch a ball. And, he always managed to toss one near Max.

Max thought he was doing great. And while he still didn't get one every time, he managed to catch a few more than average.

So, I kept my expectations for soccer this year very low.

And was pleasantly surprised. He loved it. Loved being a "fender" to keep the ball out of the goal. Listened to his coaches, and seemed to have a great time playing the game, taking turns and asked me every day when he'd get to go back again.

The best part was on the car ride home after his last game. "Thanks mom for signing me up for soccer. I'd really like to do that again."

Ahhh....gratitude. More important than learning the skill of soccer, the fact that he said thanks made it all worth it.

It's one we'll definitely do again.