Have you ever had a dream...and it finally came true? When it came true, was it what you expected or did it fall short of what you had in mind? Was it harder than you thought it would be? I've definitely been there. Well, that was a little bit of what Libby experienced this last Saturday.
When I asked her earlier this spring what her #1 goal was for life she told me she wanted to be a soccer player when she grew up. Well, by that time we were too late to sign her up for spring or summer soccer. So, I signed her up for fall soccer and she had her first game on Saturday. I think she expected to just "know" the game since she's loved it for so long. She certainly didn't know the game. She enjoyed practice time when everyone had their own ball, but when it came to game time and she barely got to touch the ball...she was beyond herself. She would just walk off the field crying. Luckily, it's little kids soccer so I would just find the nearest kid from her team and say, "Go on out! It's your turn!" We had two bawling sessions over this game. I told her that she had to learn to be aggressive and learn the rules of the game, but that didn't convince her. She thought it was the end of the world and "just wanted to go home". Unfortunately, that isn't how it works. I told her she had to finish out this season and that mommy and daddy would practice with her at home.
I know this is just the first of many life lessons...and may be one that she has to learn more than once, but, unfortunately, just because we love something does not make us "experts" at it. We have to start at the bottom rung of knowledge and work our way up to expertise. If Libby chooses to give up on soccer after one season and chooses another #1 goal, she will have to start from the beginning of that goal, too. As an adult, I still have to learn that lesson from time to time, too. It is a hard lesson to learn, but an even harder lesson to teach your child. My first instinct was to "take my baby home", but that wouldn't teach her a darn thing! Instead, I'm hoping that by the end of the season she has improved enough to enjoy the sport a little more. She is already starting to improve in practicing with mommy. Dribbling on Saturday looked like kicking the ball as far across the field as she could and running to catch up to it...yesterday, she very rarely kicked it more than two or three leg lengths in front of her. She certainly didn't want me to steal it from her. So, here's to living the dream!
Practicing shooting the ball to the goal.
When I asked her earlier this spring what her #1 goal was for life she told me she wanted to be a soccer player when she grew up. Well, by that time we were too late to sign her up for spring or summer soccer. So, I signed her up for fall soccer and she had her first game on Saturday. I think she expected to just "know" the game since she's loved it for so long. She certainly didn't know the game. She enjoyed practice time when everyone had their own ball, but when it came to game time and she barely got to touch the ball...she was beyond herself. She would just walk off the field crying. Luckily, it's little kids soccer so I would just find the nearest kid from her team and say, "Go on out! It's your turn!" We had two bawling sessions over this game. I told her that she had to learn to be aggressive and learn the rules of the game, but that didn't convince her. She thought it was the end of the world and "just wanted to go home". Unfortunately, that isn't how it works. I told her she had to finish out this season and that mommy and daddy would practice with her at home.
I know this is just the first of many life lessons...and may be one that she has to learn more than once, but, unfortunately, just because we love something does not make us "experts" at it. We have to start at the bottom rung of knowledge and work our way up to expertise. If Libby chooses to give up on soccer after one season and chooses another #1 goal, she will have to start from the beginning of that goal, too. As an adult, I still have to learn that lesson from time to time, too. It is a hard lesson to learn, but an even harder lesson to teach your child. My first instinct was to "take my baby home", but that wouldn't teach her a darn thing! Instead, I'm hoping that by the end of the season she has improved enough to enjoy the sport a little more. She is already starting to improve in practicing with mommy. Dribbling on Saturday looked like kicking the ball as far across the field as she could and running to catch up to it...yesterday, she very rarely kicked it more than two or three leg lengths in front of her. She certainly didn't want me to steal it from her. So, here's to living the dream!
Practicing shooting the ball to the goal.
Dribbling around the coach to reach the goal.
Gray team throwing the ball in. She had good position to snatch the ball and run with it, but not enough "know-how" to do so.
The second time she got hold of the ball...and then slipped and fell on her butt (even with cleats on). She was VERY mad about this!
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