I take back all the snarky comments I've ever made about soccer. I regret thinking I'd never involve my kid in team sports. He's wanted to play soccer since last year, and his wish was fulfilled today at his first game. Here's what I love about 3 - 5 year old soccer at the YMCA: no score keeping, very gentle rule enforcement (i.e. keep the ball inside the lines, etc), and heavy emphasis on fun. The teams weren't even really matched--we had 4 players, the opponents had 5--and it totally didn't matter. Basically, a pack of 9 children were running, kicking, smiling, tripping, giggling, and occasionally scoring goals. Sure I was proud when Dennis got the ball away from the opposing team right in front of their goal and successfully ran it all the way back across and executed a beautiful pass to a teammate who then scored. I wouldn't say he's especially skilled, and it might have just been a happy accident. I think it's a tribute to the fun that after Dennis' team scored so many goals, the coaches urged them to let the other guys score. And it's even better that the parents of our team cheered just as hard for the other guys. No winner was declared, and a great time was had by all. I rather think it was the most perfect sporting event ever! And Dennis is so pumped full of team camaraderie and positive reinforcement and encouragement that he's too excited to sleep tonight.
I'm even more thrilled to report that Dennis played outside ALL DAY LONG! He was completely "unplugged" today and played outside with blocks and trucks and cars, played in a hose with his friends at the lake, and then played with his construction toys out in the dirt with those same friends for nearly two hours. We had to drag him away crying. He had a magical spring day, I think, one that we hope is the first of many days just like it in the coming months.
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