My five year old has “played soccer” for three sessions now. Two Fall and one Spring. If you ever find yourself awake, bored, and looking for amusement some Saturday morning you should definitely track down your local YMCA and go cheer for some pee-wee soccer. It would probably be even more fun if you didn’t have a kid playing.
The best thing about cheering for Pee-Wee Soccer is that correct “cheering” sounds a lot like this…
“Run! Good job running! Now try running the other way!”
“Kick the ball..yeah the ball! Kick it!”
“It’s okay! Put your cleat back on! We all lose our cleats mid-kick sometimes!”
“The net – go towards the net – I mean the OTHER net!”
“I’m so proud of you for going on the field when you were nervous.”
“Run! Kick! Run! Other way! YAY!” (And the yay is said by both teams spectators no matter which goal it goes in because nobody has the heart to tell the four year old that he just kicked the ball proudly into his own goal. We will save that heart break for the six or seven year olds – or something like that.)
Sometimes you do hear bad sportsmanship at these games. It’s rarely the kids. It’s usually the parents. Don’t get me wrong I’ve been involved in more than one conversation that went something like “Please I just hope my child does something other than walk today.” and “Dear Lord if you’re listening do NOT let a plane fly over for the next twenty minutes.” Still, trash talking four year olds or booing are the sure fire way to look like (and really be) a jerk.
At least once a game I stop and ask myself, “Why do we do this? Bundle up all three kids for weekly practice and game time that lasts a half hour maximum. Why?”
Then I realize why..
It’s because my kid smiles when I mention it. It’s because even if she never ever scores a goal, she gets to begin to understand what it feels like to be part of a group – a team. It’s because she gets to fill her lungs with fresh air and peel her eyes off TV and tablet screens. It’s about friendship. It’s a little about the basics of discipline (but not really). It’s about trying something new. It’s about seeing your kid grow a little bit each week even if her only skill is better sportsmanship with her friends. It’s about getting out and doing.
My child may soon decide that soccer isn’t her calling. That’s okay. Even if she never kicks a ball again the fun she had while she played will be good enough. The friends will be enough. The exercise will be enough. They will have been worth it.
Also I can’t lie..why does Karrigan do it some days? For the team snack at the end of the game. Win, Lose, or No score at all..we can all agree on snack.
Living Moore 