Soccer Mom Times Two

Crush-0136Last week marked the advent of having two children in after school sports at the same time. One had practice Tuesday, one had practice Thursday, and they had back to back games on Saturday. I’m a firm believer in each child only being allowed one after school activity at a time, and this might not sound like much but it’s more than enough.

Mike had class all day so it was up to me to get two kids and all their stuff to their soccer games on Saturday. My awesome friend Monica volunteered to drive us and pick us up, (still can’t drive w/ my broken foot) but when I got to the fields it took me a little while to figure out that I had mixed up whose game started first and so we were on the wrong fields entirely.  Thank goodness for email on my smartphone! Also I’m glad I always try to be painfully early to things, so ten minutes of searching for Alex’s team still didn’t make us late for Nathan’s game. Off we hiked across the complex to the bigger fields where the 6-7 year olds play, with our chairs and equipment. 

It was really hot, and Nathan’s soccer field was much bigger than the younger kids’ field, so there was no way he could hear me from where I was sitting. Which is a shame because he is a bit lost on the field this year, trying to figure out actual positions instead of just chasing the ball everywhere. So he spent a lot of time just standing in one spot while the one coach (there should be two) tried to encourage the others. We were most definitely out couched in that game.

Nathan’s game ended just barely in time for him to collect his snack while I packed up our two camp chairs. I had, of course, forgotten to bring an extra snack for Alex. I really hate to be late, or even not early enough for Alex to warm up, so I rushed off with hardly a word to the other parents. We trudged across the complex to Alex’s game where I found my neighbor, Chuck, coaching the four year olds with an iPad in his hand.

Now Chuck is a great guy, but a sports fanatic he is not. He’s a tech geek and a musician…super friendly and laid back. I was surprised and grateful to hear he would be coaching Alex this year. His assistant coach, Diego, is much more the soccer guy. Chuck was concerned with making sure each kid got the same amount of playing time so he found an app to help him rotate kids in and out. I had to laugh.

Crush-0037When his wife arrived she saw the futility of him trying to coach with an iPad in hand so he passed it off to her, and she promptly passed it off to me, knowing I’m a bit techy myself. It was a good idea in theory, but I had trouble figuring out when to start and stop the clock, and around halftime the iPad overheated and just quit.

Like I mentioned…it was HOT out. Texas hot. Summertime hot, not September hot. Also the field was a dustbowl, lacking in any grass at all because of our extreme drought, so we all got to be utterly filthy, including my boot and the bare toes sticky out from it.

Alex played well enough for his first game but I am surprised by his lack of aggression. He had seemed  very aggressive when playing at home on his own, but I guess it’s different with a pack of boys and one ball. His team got beat pretty badly,  but I don’t think he even noticed.

One really amusing part of having both kids in soccer now is watching Nathan coach Alex. As soon as Nate figured out that Alex would be on a real team this year, he took him out in the backyard and tried to teach him some skills. He even got him to run around the yard, telling him it would build speed and endurance. (Ok, so he didn’t use those words, exactly.) During the game he cheered for Alex and gave him coach-like pep talks on the sideline.

This is all really hilarious coming from our not especially enthusiastic, non-athlete. It’s tremendous watching the two brothers interact with love and respect…at least some of the time.

Almost makes being a soccer mom worth it.

Are your kids in sports? Do you enjoy it?

Fashion Friday: Back to School!

The tie was just for graduation.

Yesterday was “Meet the Teacher” night for my first grade son so I trekked on foot in the 102 degree heat over to his school to get a first glimpse of what was in store for this new year. Last year I dressed up a little for this event, (in this White House Black Market maxi dress) being totally new to the whole elementary school gig, because I thought it would matter how I presented myself to Nate’s teacher and the other parents I’d meet. Nathan had a great year but my relationship with his teacher was a bit bumpy. I think Kindergarten was a harder adjustment for me than for him.

So with a new year comes a fresh start with a new teacher. Both the kids and the parents are completely new to the teacher and the teacher pretty much holds the fate of the entire year in her hands. That’s why I think it’s super important to make a good first impression. I decided a dress and heels were not necessary for me this year, especially given the long walk in the sweltering heat, but I did make Nathan change from a t-shirt into a collared polo shirt. Gymboree, of course!

Here’s why. I believe that how your child looks on the first few days of school can shape a teacher’s opinion of that child. We all make snap judgments about people based on how they look, even when we know we may be wrong and try not to. It’s human nature. 
Graphic t-shirts covered in skulls, Mohawks and shirts touting smartass and rebellious sayings are just not a good idea on a small child when impressions are important. Private prep schools use uniforms for a reason. I believe that if my child dresses nicely the teacher is more likely to believe that he is well mannered, well behaved and smart. At least she has to know that his parents are heavily involved in his life and likely to make sure he gets his work done. 
Don’t get me wrong, I’m ALL for freedom of expression in clothing choices, but when kids are young and still open to suggestion I’m going to err on the side of preppy at least for the first week of school. 
Tell me what YOU think. Agree? Disagree? 

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