It's official

Well, I've been driving the minivan for two years, but now it's official ... I'm a soccer mom. In a way, I've been dreading this day - going to and from practices, every Saturday morning tied up with games; it marks the beginning of an era where you spend a good portion of your day in the car running around. 

All of C's cousins have played in the local soccer league, and P has been pretty adamant that he wanted C to participate when she got old enough. C agreed that she would like to play after watching some of the cousins' games last year.  And as we have gotten closer to this day, I began to appreciate the benefits - something fun that would help improve her coordination, and help her learn the basics of teamwork.

When her uncle Corey learned that she was playing this year, he requested her on his team (he's coaching) so she could play with her cousin Neo. We were pretty excited about this because we figured he'd probably let M practice with them, even though she isn't old enough to play in the games.

Ready for her first practice

The first day of soccer practice, C was totally psyched to put on her new gear and go practice. However she has a hard time with the concept that you don't just step on the field and know how to play and play well, you actually have to work at it. She is VERY easily frustrated and then she wants to just throw in the towel. After the first kid scored a goal, she was done for. No amount of persuasion, bribery or cajoling would get her back out on the field.

We had more of the same during the second and third practices. I spent more time explaining why she couldn't quit and trying to get her to participate than she spent on the field. Very frustrating indeed! Luckily, the Asst Coach Becky took her by the hand at the end of last practice and ran with her to help her get a feel for how it is played. But afterwards, C still maintained that she didn't want to play soccer any more.  I started to think that we'd have to make M a permanent sub for C for the season so at least we wouldn't have thrown our registration and uniform money away.

I've tried to work with the girls at home on some of the fundamentals (after I've observed them in practice, since I know virtually nothing about soccer), but their attention span is limited and they are usually done after a few minutes, if I've even managed to engage them at all!

Yesterday C had her first game. We were off to a dubious start when it took her nearly an hour to get dressed, and then only because the rest of us were going out the door. She bawled because she had to wear a boy shirt. I tried in vain to convince her that it wasn't a boy shirt, but a soccer shirt - and on top of that she would be wearing a jersey, the same one that everyone else was going to be wearing whether they were a girl or boy.

As soon as we got to the soccer field, the first thing she said was "You were right Mommy, we all look the same" and she perked up a bit, but still not enough to spark her desire to play. I thought for sure that she would be sulking on my lap for the entire game, but somehow Becky managed to get her out there. And you know what? She had a good time, and she played quite well for her experience level.  I was so proud of her!!!

After the game, C announced that she likes soccer after all! We'll see how that translates when we go to practice again this week.