Who knew pee-wee soccer could be SO STRESSFUL!
My 3yr old daughter has wanted to play soccer SO BAD for the past year. She has watched her big brother for the past two seasons and has wanted nothing more than to run out on the field and play. There have actually been times where I had to run after her because she squirted away from me in order to try to get in on the action!
I should have known about a week ago on picture day that something was going to be amiss. We get to the field and go meet her team. They looked so cute! A whole bunch of little 3-4yr olds in their purple uniforms! It’s time to line up to get individual pictures. My husband walks her over to get her in position and WHAM! The tears start. I go over and ask to give her a few minutes. About 5 minutes later we try again. She gets up there and this time it’s a little better. No tears, but a semi-smile. Ok, I’ll take it! We have worse pictures with the Easter Bunny and Santa Clause.
Next up, a team picture. At this time I’m feeling pretty bad for the coach and the photographers because a dozen kids at this age want NOTHING to do with this process. 6-7 kids sit down, 2 run to the left, one starts crying (yes, that would be my child…again), the photographer says kneel so they stand, then he says to stand so they all sit. FINALLY they are able to get these kids to sit still for a split second and the picture is taken! YIPPIE SKIPPY!!! (PS – my kid stopped crying too…but had a pretty miserable smirk. Don’t care, I’ll still take it!) I can’t wait to see the pictures when they come in. It’s going to be a hoot!
Fast-forward a week to the first soccer game. She’s ready to go again! She can’t wait to put the shin guards on, cleats and her purple uniform. She has her size 3 soccer ball and we’re ready to hit the field! Well, maybe not. In her league, the little kids practice for about 15-20 minutes before taking a break and playing for about a half-hour. Practice is awful! My daughter wants nothing to do with it. She kicks the ball around…in the net at the opposite end of the field from where her team is practicing. The team then practices the “red-light, green-light” drill. Not for my daughter. She’s just played “red-light”. After some back and forth, it’s break time. She’s AWESOME at this part! She ran right over to me (yes, RAN…the most running she’s done so far) for her water bottle. Break’s over and it’s game time. Now things really go south. What was that you say? Hasn’t it already gone south? Oh, no no no. It gets better. Kids are now playing against another team and it’s pure chaos. Kids are pushing, crying (yep, mine again), falling…just pure pandemonium. My daughter is sad because she doesn’t have the ball. She “wants to go home”. My poor husband is out on the field in the middle of all this trying to help the coach and where am I? Laughing my ASS off on the sidelines. What else is there to do? Yes, it’s a little frustrating, but it’s completely and utterly hysterical to see all this unfold in front of my eyes. Mother of the year award goes to THIS GIRL!!!
Finally, it’s over. Everyone gets a juice box and bag of gold fish and we are going home. She passes out on the car ride home, not from the exhaustion of running and playing, but I think from the pure stress she endured for a total of about 45 mintues. :)
Just a few days away from going back to the field to do it all over again! Go Purple Soccer Team (yes, that’s the name they chose for themselves!)