Soccer Madness Begins

We've been preparing Jesse for this day - the first day of soccer season 2014. This will be Jesse's second year playing soccer, and we have been eager to see how it would go down. Would this be a repeat of last year, where he was as likely to spin in circles as he was to chase the ball? Or would he be a lean, mean, ruthless soccer machine?

We warmed him up by taking him to a few of Redeemer's home games (side note: they won the city championship - GO ROYALS!). Jesse, however, seemed more interested in wrestling with my legs than in the soccer games, so we figured that maybe this year would be a lot like last year in terms of his soccer competitiveness.

However, Chrissy had a feeling that things would be different this year. After all, she reasoned, Jesse at nearly five years old is much different than he was last year. (And this is the truth. I'm trying to think of some of the things he does now that he would never have done before. He swims by himself in the pool, albeit with a life jacket. He takes an occasional shower. Sometimes he puts his face in water - but never completely over his head. He makes his own toast and butters it, too.)

So almost-five Jesse is a new boy. The old is gone, and the new has come. How would this impact his soccer game?

Well, let me tell you, as a proud parent. Jesse listened and followed instructions pretty well (at least, he was trying). He chased the ball around. He kicked it a few times. He didn't steal it from his own team, even when he could have. He even got frustrated that he hadn't scored.

I was so proud. Jesse from last year would have been lucky to recognize the existence of the soccer ball. One year really does make a lot of difference.

Jesse, visualizing his team winning the World Cup. Notice the fire smouldering in his eyes.

Robyn made sure we stayed hydrated, and she took her job very seriously, going so far as to shower me with water and squeak angrily if I delayed in partaking of her sippy cup at any given moment.

Look at him hustle. We were pretty proud.

So, another big day. It's really awesome to watch these kids grow up and transform in front of our eyes. I think it would be a really good thing for all our kids to get involved in team sports, simply because from teaching, I often see how the seasoned athletes take constructive criticism really well - with determination to get better and improve. I think that's a really positive skill for a young person to have.

At any rate, for today, we're just glad that Jesse had a good time. He wanted to organize a big soccer game before bed (and every night before bed, he tells us), so it sounds like we're making good progress.

Until next time...