This past Saturday morning was Connor's first organized little league soccer game.
It didn't quite go as we expected.
Connor was so excited about this game.
He wanted to sleep in his jersey the night before.
He couldn't contain himself at home the morning before we left for the fields.
But...
...when we got to the field, he was a different child.
He was totally too shy to do anything.
He wouldn't go on the field.
He wouldn't talk to the coaches or other kids.
He wouldn't budge.
Kevin and I were bewildered. We wanted this to be a positive experience for Connor.
Fortunately, his coaches were very patient and understanding, and Kevin spent most of the practice and the game with his hand right in Connor's.
It wasn't until the very end that Connor warmed up enough to run a few feet in front of Kevin.
We invited some other players and coaches to the house later that day to watch the OSU game. Connor was totally fine playing soccer with them in our own backyard. Hopefully now that he knows some of the others better, next week will go more smoothly.
We also found out that Connor is the youngest on his team. I realize now that's why the other kids seemed so much more confident and independent. The rest of them are about a year older than he is.
He only made the cut-off for the team by about 30 days. The little boy who he played with after the game was a full 11 months older than him.
We're just going to have to be patient with him and help him learn to be more confident.
4 comments:
we had the girls in soccer in spring of 2008. Older girl was four; younger--2.5---the coaches gave the younger one a shirt and said we could give it a try--but she was too scared w/o a parent (and probably a bit young). The four y/o had more issues with listening to verbal instructions (actually a normal problem anyway)--and it hurt her confidence a little that she couldn't "react" as quickly as the other kids w/o additonal instructions--auditory learning is not her style-- (not mine either, so I get that:).
My best to Connor--good move on bringing people back to your house (with the new TV:D)--that probably helped him a lot!!
It was so easy to have people over to watch the game, with the new tv, the leftover pop and beer and chips and dip from the party, not to mention the leftover brats that just got thrown into the freezer. The only thing we needed was buns. It was like an instant party. I enjoyed not having to do any extra prep work.
the best kind!!!
He ended up doing really well and having a lot of fun. I loved being his coach!
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