This fall our church is sponsoring a soccer league for kids. I knew from the moment I first saw the email announcing sign-ups for the 4-year old league that this opportunity wouldn’t be overlooked by the soccer-loving Spouse. And, sure enough, not only is the Preschooler playing, but the Spouse is a co-coach. I never played soccer as a child, so, to the Spouse’s dismay, I don’t really understand much about the game. But, apparently there is a right way to kick the ball {even if you’re only 4} and there is a lot of equipment involved between cleats, shin guards, huge socks, jerseys, balls, etc. {Personally, I think tennis has the better outfits, but I won’t go on and on about it…}.
When the teams had their first practice/game session this week, I decided the Toddler and I would go along just to see how it all works, and to see the debut of our own new player and “coach.” Well, I noticed that the Spouse seemed very focused {even stressed} in the car on the way there about having everything organized for the practice. So, I mentioned that I thought he seemed a little uptight about this whole 4-year old soccer thing, to which he replied… “I don’t remember inviting you to come along tonight.” {Of course, he didn’t, and that’s exactly why I knew I must go}.
In the end it went really well. The Toddler nearly did me in with her repeated attempts {many of which were successful} to run onto the field and find “my Daddy!” in the middle of the drills. But, most 4-year olds can’t kick the ball all that hard or all that accurately, so the field wasn’t particularly dangerous. What was dangerous, though, was the huge practice net that the Toddler got her hair bow and the velcro strap of her sandal stuck in midway through the evening. Who knew there were strangling hazards lurking on the soccer field? Next week, I’m going to take a cue from all the other more seasoned spectators and am going armed with a lawn chair, entertainment for the Toddler, and a real camera. And, I must say… the Spouse and his co-coach are well-suited to lead this little team. I’m pretty proud of him {and my rosy-cheeked player} out on that field.
Moving on… yesterday morning the girls had to accompany me on a quick trip to the doctor. I try hard to avoid this situation, but I knew we could pull it off if we could just all get out the door and in the car bright and early. Well, we got there in one piece, but I noticed as I was getting them out of the car in the parking lot that something strange was going on with the Toddler’s outfit. Can you spot the problem?
Fortunately, when you’re three, you don’t really need to use your pockets that much anyway. Also, when you’re three you’re not embarrassed that you’re pants are on “backerds.” So, we just went on…
After our doctor’s outing we came home to take advantage of the nice weather and play outside for a bit. This whole summer the girls have been struggling with road rage… or driveway rage, I should say. They have a lot of trouble sharing the sidewalk. The Toddler thinks she has the permanent right-away when she’s in the Cozy Coupe…
And, the Preschooler thinks she owns the pavement when she’s on the Barbie trike…
So, many times our outdoor time doesn’t end well, and we have to go inside and regroup.
The Preschooler’s favorite indoor activity at this time of year is to play “school.” And, as the oldest she naturally assumes she should always be the teacher, and the Toddler should always be the student. This works pretty well so long as the Toddler is willing to be completely submissive to her “teacher’s” every request. Apparently, she wasn’t cooperative yesterday because I found her sitting on a book in the corner of the living room. And, when I asked her what she was doing she said sadly, “I’m in time-out.”
The amazing thing is she actually stayed there until her “teacher” told her she could do otherwise. I guess I should start asking the Preschooler for parenting advice…
Leave a Reply