SOCCER SATURDAY

And so it begins. The start of the soccer mom phenomenon. Both my boyfriend and I were skeptical at first due to my son's size relative to other children his age. However, my son surprised me today as I watched him along with his sisters, stepbrothers and stepmom, father, and stepmom's mother and brother.

The sun was out and shining down upon us with a vengeance.  At 36 degrees Celsius we were melting in the heat. Though Sage was enjoying his time on the field, he was getting tired after the first of three 12-minute games. He did not complain as the coach kept him playing with barely any bench time. I was also glad he was excited about something other than Lego building.

The method used in these games is known as the 'new ball method' where a new ball is thrown into the field as soon as one goes out of bounds which seemed a bit strange to me. Important was that the children got out and played in a team environment.

Given that much time has passed since I last played soccer as a child, I have a lot to learn regarding the rules of the game. Thankfully, I have a boyfriend who is a loyal soccer fan watching games on a weekly basis.

I fondly recall the times in Ireland when I watched the Liverpool games with him and cannot wait for him to come to States to attend Sage's games with me. Perhaps by then my girls will join soccer as well.

As we stood there and watched the games in the sweltering last days of summer, the thought came across my mind that our children were no longer babies and toddlers. As they try various activities, they are forming their own thoughts and desires, learning what they like and dislike.

All in all, this turned out to be a pleasant soccer Saturday as we all watched our children growing up and learning about teamwork, competition, and rules which will guide them in the real world.