Go Team Go!

 

 

 

 

Lilly decided she was through with dance classes after her last recital.  With a sigh and a silent good bye to that little girl who was so excited to be a vallerina, I signed her up for soccer at her request. Summer soccer camp was not all it was cracked up to be. BOYS were there! One in particular decided to kick his ball at the back of her calves daily and splash water on her. It was hot and there was a lot of running involved. When we told Lilly she would be starting on a soccer team in the fall, she was mad... really mad.

I never thought of myself as a pushy parent who needs to have her children be well rounded with athletic teams, piano lessons, music or drawing classes. I figured they would love something and that's what they would do. Problem solved.
I was not prepared for her to give up before she really started. We told her, she made a commitment to her new team (and her parents couldn't get their money back) and had to uphold that commitment until the season was over. At that time, if she still hated soccer, she wouldn't have to sign up for another season.
Lilly being Lilly, kept a record in her journal of days she liked soccer and days she hated it. She complained for the first few practices and even cheered a resounding, "YES!" with a fist pump when her coach put someone else in for her at her first game. She has been hit in the face with the ball, lost every game so far, and been kicked in the shins, but after what has seemed like a small miracle, she has more tallies under the like side of her soccer record sheet! Whew. We are so glad we had her stick to it. It has been a great lesson for our self taught reader at age four to realize that not everything comes easily, and sometimes we still have things to learn.