Yesterday I got off work a bit early to attend my oldest son Dylan's first soccer game.
I can't tell you how proud of him I was. This was the first sport of any kind he has ever played and he's doing really well at it, for a first timer.
He needs to learn a lot more, but I'm thrilled to see him trying something new that he's interested in and shows some natural ability at.
See, I was never an athelete. I never played sports of any kind, even at recess in school. I'm a thinker. I used to read books all the time, or draw, or make up comedy routines to entertain my friends, etc. So, for me to have an athelete in the family is something new for me.
I guess it means that my son isn't an extension of me anymore, he's his very own person. His unique personality and character is emerging as he approaches his teenage years, and like it or not, I will have to allow him room to stretch and spread his wings and learn to be exactly who he is.
This is me learning how to be a good Father to my son. Cheering him on from the sidelines and coaching him during the breaks, and loving him no matter what happens.
I'm very, very proud of him.
-kg
P.S. - His team did win their very first game. It was 6 to 4 (a pretty high-scoring game of soccer) and Dylan even got a few good kicks in, played some great defense, even shouldered one kid down on one play and blocked out the opposing player on the other end of the field so his teammate could grab the ball away and save the play.
Woo-hoo!
My wife & I were both pretty athletic but soccer came along way after our athletic years so when our kids started playing it was a whole new ball game for us but it was great fun. I was able to coach their team until they got past what I understood of the game. We even had a couple of them play on a state championship team. Lotsa miles on the car but lotsa time spent with my kids so I wouldn't trade it for anything and the church we started in our home was primarily made up of people we met on the soccer fields.
ReplyDeletePS: Typical parent you are, even for a "non athlete." There's an athlete in you wanting to get out, c'mon Keith -- get out of that closet:-) When our kids first started playing, we were supposed to be about having fun so we were "coached" to not worry about the score. If the kids asked we were supposed to say, "It doesn't matter...yada, yada, yada." BS! The parents ALWAYS knew what the score was and how many goals their kid had scored (I knew because we had a McDonalds deal -- each score/good play netted an appropriate "reward from the Mac-man. There are winners and losers in life so the sooner the kids learn how to deal with both sides appropriately, the better equipped they will be to deal with life. My.02 worth. PS -- it was great exercise/cardio too -- not too many overweight kids who have to run like soccer players do.