2008
some things never change, some things stay the same
maura @ 8:24 pm
Yes, I signed Gus up to play soccer this spring. The first game was today, and last week I had this whole blag post worked up in my head on the way I was swinging back + forth between ambivalent + neurotic about the whole thing. The usual whining you’d expect from the small + uncoordinated nonsporty parent* of a small + uncoordinated nonsporty kid.
* And I’m the sportier parent!
But you know what? It went just fine. A pal from school is on his team. The name they chose for their team is Scorpions, which Gus suggested. He was happy to go, happy to play, and happy to have breakfast at a diner afterwards.
His team lost terribly, something like 10 to 1 (no one kept score). It was clear that 4/5ths of the other team had played soccer before, while approximately 0/5ths of the Scorpions had. Or maybe it’s just all of those hippie feel-good vibes he gets in his progressive school: he and his buddy didn’t seem to want to steal the ball from any of the kids on the other team, as if they were giving everyone a turn.
I think I’m actually looking forward to next weekend’s game. Thankfully it’s not at EIGHT (8!!!) AM, which is cruel + unusual punishment for a weekend morning. As our friend said, “NOTHING should start before SCHOOL starts!!!” Esp. nothing the morning after one has insomnia. I had 4 cups of coffee + 1 cup of tea today and still felt like I did when Gus was a baby and woke up every hour or so.
Just don’t call me a soccer mom!
2 comments on “some things never change, some things stay the same”
Wow, go Max! I think we will be all-defeated, but maybe we just had the bad luck of the draw to get the one pro team our first game. I kind of doubt it, though — parenting here is so completely, insanely, type-A competitive (though in a weird hippie way, like “I make all my baby’s food!”).
Luckily the practice is 1/2 hr and games 1/2 hr, so it’s not too long. But it’s probably only a matter of time before me or J tries to sneak a book to the games.
We’re undefeated!!!
I am a loser soccer mom, tho. Today it was about 40 degrees & raining, so I spent the first half in the car doing needlepoint.
I don’t know the first thing about soccer. I spent all my games (in gym class or whatever, never anything in uniform) praying the earth would swallow me up.
But I did manage to locate the field without hurtling the car eastbound on Beechmont, driving around on Eastern looking across the tracks to the field and wondering how in the world we might get there (there is a footbridge, but that’s not too helpful when you’re in a car), or missing the last little street because I was too busy singing “This Is How We Do It!” (all of which have happened).