soccer mom

Yesterday was Eloise's first soccer game on her AYSO team.  It is a team of 4 & 5 year olds.  There is a 30 minute practice and then they play a 30 minute game with another team of the same age.  Eloise is not super athletic but I don't think she has any idea.  She started off a little slow but by the end of the game she was running around and kicking and having fun doing just what she was supposed to be doing.  At least, I think she was.

She comes by her lack of athleticism honestly.  I have never been into sports, hardly played any sports as a kid, and rarely watch sports on tv.  When I have watched a game I am the cliche wife watching and commenting on the uniform colors, tightness of the pants, and can't they do something about those squeaking shoes?  Soccer is something I know very, very little about.  I know the ball is kind of hard, and you are not supposed to touch it with your hands.  I know that there are 2 goals and goalies are trying to keep the ball out of them.  Is that right?

I am going to make a real effort to try and learn about the game and become the soccer mom I always dreamed of being.  Hmmmm.  Not sure if I can pull it off.  Well, here are a few things I learned at my first game:

The shin guards actually go under the socks.  I should plan to show up looking a little cuter next time because all the other moms seemed to have 'outfits' on.  Soccer is, surprisingly, not played in an area with lots of shade trees but is, in fact, played in a wide open field with blinding sun.   I should maybe get my player some real soccer shoes instead of some tennies from Nordstrom with sparkles on them.  The coaches' kids are always the worst behaved.  I am supposed to have a little chair that folds up all nice and neat and is easy to carry.  I should know the names and locations of all the different fields so I don't have to walk around in previously mentioned blinding sun for 15 minutes looking for other kids that seem about the same size as mine.  I should bring my little soccer player already dressed in her uniform and not a skirt, t-shirt, and head of hair with 8 butterfly clips in it.  Snacks are very important at soccer (we were there for one hour and they had 2 snacks and a lemonade--I can definitely get behind the snacks).   I am supposed to stand at the sidelines and cheer at the appropriate times and yell encouraging things, instead of sitting on a blanket taking pictures and cheering at random moments that may or may not have anything to do with our team.  I should bring Starbucks.

So as the weeks go by (only 8 more!) I hope that we all get better at soccer.   It will be a learning process for the whole family.   Did  you know some countries call it 'football'?   Isn't that cute?  Who knew?

'before'

'after'

doing something soccer-y

the all important snack

making an effort

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