My son loves kicking the ball around in the gym, or at home, but for some reason he is not into the organized soccer program. Last week, he got offended when his father chastised him for something, and I spent the whole hour following him around the field, trying to get him to do the skills. At least I am learning some soccer moves! He seems to show some natural ability, so it would be nice if he perks up later in the season.
My daughter is in her second season of soccer, in the U6 girls division. She has never had development, unfortunately, and has been relying on observation. Considering she is the youngest and least experienced player on her team, I think she is doing really well. Last year, the season was spent picking dandelions. This year, she is running all over the field, and keeping up with the front runners. I should say catching up. She is a little speed demon. However, she has no idea what to do with the ball when she gets it.
So far, her team has won every game in the tournament, but she is one of two girls who has yet to score. You should hear the parents (moms) encouraging her and the other girl whenever they get the ball. If the team is leading far enough ahead, the other parents will tell their girls to pass the ball to my daughter or the other scoreless player. She has tried, and had a few kicks on net, but her kicks are weak. She did awesome in goal yesterday, and I am proud she is showing an interest in the sport.
She has not been too thrilled about the constant game aspect of the tournament. The girls have played four games in two days. I took her to a birthday party in between two games yesterday, and she did not want to leave for a soccer game. It took a lot of convincing and a few tears to get her to the field on time. She did step up, and play well. Also, despite not wanting to play yet another game yesterday evening, she was an excellent goaltender.
I have not offered a bribe for her to get a goal. Other parents have done this for their children, and it just feels wrong to me. I might have to bribe my son to participate in the regular soccer program, but we seem to have to use incentives for him to do a lot of things. He still refuses to sleep in his own bed, let alone his own room. I do not think my daughter would be more likely to score even if I did bribe her. She is participating fairly well in the tournament.
It is raining this morning. My daughter is in a bit of denial that she has her final soccer match this morning. It will be interesting to see how much she enjoys playing in the rain. She was already growing weary of playing soccer after her second tournament game. We are now on game five. If she scores, we will all be happy and proud of her, but I am already impressed by how much she has improved over last year. Another bonus of this year's season is the addition of development classes on the weekend, so she can learn some soccer skills, like her brother, if we ever have time on the weekends!
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