We are back into the swing of soccer. That means never a dull Saturday, lots of bags, whining, cheering, wrestling, water and sweat. Alyssa is doing great. She really likes to play and has a good grasp on the game. She is fast and smart, but still is not the most aggressive one in the pile. In between watching Megan play from a distance and wrestling Audrey to stay off the field, I really enjoy watching her play.
We decided to sign Megan up with the Y at the last moment. She went to her first practice last week where she did great. She kept her shoes and shin guards on for over an hour waiting til practice, she ran, she kicked, she obeyed the coach, she did awesome.
I began to think that she would do so good….so much better than Alyssa did on her first team. I was excited for a child who was aggressive. I was more than willing to pay that late sign up fee if it meant my child would have fun, play, maybe even… score? Well, Saturday came. When we stepped out of the car and she began complaining that her shin guards were itching, I knew it was all over.
That is EXACTLY what Alyssa did all season long at age 3. We would put bug spray, lotion, even toilet paper in her socks – anything to avoid the itchy legs. It went from itchy legs, to being bored, to hot, anything to not play. So Megan sat in a ball, head in her hands, pouting for oh… 3 quarters of the game. I tried everything – just like I did with Alyssa – and no bribe, treat, incentive would get her to play. Then finally, she seemed interested. We called her coach, “Megan’s ready” I yelled. Whoo hoo!! She is on the field. Yes! “Get the camera!” She took a throw-in. She ran. She tried to get the ball. And… the game was over. She played for about 90 seconds. But I was so proud of her. Maybe next week it will be different.
I’m there with you. 90 seconds of willingness changes the whole game.
glad to hear it can get better!! Kyle and I are about to pull our hair out with our 5 year old! She loves practice, but the minute we start to get ready for the game, she starts to whine and cry. It was either spank or bribe this week, and we went with bribery…it actually worked!! Hope it hold out for the rest of the season, and that this phase will eventually fade away and her inner soccer star will come out! ; )
Oh my goodness, Trey is playing for the first time…talk about frustrating! He actually played for about 7 minutes and scored the only goal, but got hurt, ran off the field screaming “I hate soccer” and only played the for the last 30 seconds of the game. It was hard watching all of the kids who were just having fun, running around, and not coming off the field crying, and not envying their parents who were just taking pictures and enjoying themselves. Maybe he’ll love it one day.