Last New Year’s as we sat around and made our Resolutions, Billy adamantly declared that he wanted to learn how to play soccer this year.
Outwardly, I was all smiles and “what a great resolution, Billy!” Inwardly, I groaned and had my own personal temper tantrum of “no! no! no!”
I don’t really have anything against soccer … it is okay. It is fairly low on my favorite sports list but that is mostly because I am opposed to soccer parents and the obsession and time consumption … and really, how can you get excited about a sport that frequently boasts a final score after more than an hour of play of 2 to 1?
But I signed Billy up to play on the AYSO under 6 team.
Imagine my great delight when they called and begged me to be the coach for his team …
It wasn’t as horrible as I’d imagined.
Billy’s brothers quite enjoyed the warm up and practice time …
Ricky wanted to be on a team – not so he could play, but so he could have a jersey and get the treats after the games.
There were five little boys on Billy’s team: Billy, Kaleb, Kaden, Cannon, and Sage. It took me weeks to keep Kaleb, Kaden, and Cannon straight – not because they looked alike, but just because of their similar names.
The parents were mostly nice. Most of the other coaches were fine (although a few did forget that these were five year old little boys playing – not professionals).
And as happy as Billy was to be completing his resolution, he was more excited to get the snacks at the end of each game!
Billy isn’t a super aggressive player. He prefers to hang in the back and just run around rather than fight for the ball.
When he finally scored his first (and only) goal … well, I’ve never seen him so proud. That made it all worth it.