Showing posts with label soccer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label soccer. Show all posts
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Soccer
Toward the middle of summer, Dennis and I decided to register Oliver for a fall sport -- partly for fun, but mainly to help him gain confidence. I gave him a list of choices (soccer, t-ball, swimming) and asked him to pick one. He refused, so I chose soccer, and he said he was fine with my choice.
Then about a month later, it was time for soccer practice to start. Oliver was excited to go to the field and meet his teammates, but once we got there, he was pretty freaked out. He didn't want to do the warm ups or drills, and he didn't want to even stand on the field. I had to go out with him and do the drills with him (while he held onto my leg!). He also cried a few times during the practice, and said that he didn't want to ever go back again.
I thought about it and felt like I was being mean to him for making him do something that he never really wanted to do in the first place, but then some friends helped me realize that this was teaching him a life lesson. If he signs up to do something, then he needs to stick it out and at least give it a good try. So he and I decided together that he would go to 5 practices (I suggested he go to all 10, he suggested he go to zero, so we met in the middle and came up with 5 :-D).
At the next practice, he did not cling to my leg the entire time, but he also refused to go on the field without me. He even kicked a goal and got high fives from his teammates and went home happy! Progress!
Then the following Saturday was his first game. I wasn't allowed to go on the field with him, and he cried and cried and wouldn't let go of my leg. I ended up leaving him with Dennis while I took Buttercup home, because obviously my presence was preventing him from realizing that he could do this by himself. Oliver and Dennis came home later, and Oliver had actually calmed himself down and sat with his teammates during the game! So Dennis brought Oliver to his next soccer practice while I stayed home with Buttercup, and Oliver did all of the warm up, drills, stretches, kicked 5 goals, and came home super excited and full of joy!
Since then, Oliver has really gotten into soccer and I've been able to go to practice and watch him from the sidelines while he participates with the team. And today I went to his soccer game! He doesn't really know what he's doing, but he goes out there and gives it all he has, and I am just so proud of him. It's hard to believe that 3 weeks ago he was crying and clinging to my leg, and now he's out there running around (and falling down, ha ha!) with the rest of his team. :-)
As a side note: Buttercup is 100% thrilled at getting to go to her big brother's soccer practices and games now. She cheers and claps for him, and gives him a hug any chance she gets!!
Here are some pictures from today's game (Oliver is #7). In the first picture, Oliver and his teammates were waiting to take their official team photo -- obviously the perfect time for them to get covered in dirt, right? :-)
Then about a month later, it was time for soccer practice to start. Oliver was excited to go to the field and meet his teammates, but once we got there, he was pretty freaked out. He didn't want to do the warm ups or drills, and he didn't want to even stand on the field. I had to go out with him and do the drills with him (while he held onto my leg!). He also cried a few times during the practice, and said that he didn't want to ever go back again.
I thought about it and felt like I was being mean to him for making him do something that he never really wanted to do in the first place, but then some friends helped me realize that this was teaching him a life lesson. If he signs up to do something, then he needs to stick it out and at least give it a good try. So he and I decided together that he would go to 5 practices (I suggested he go to all 10, he suggested he go to zero, so we met in the middle and came up with 5 :-D).
At the next practice, he did not cling to my leg the entire time, but he also refused to go on the field without me. He even kicked a goal and got high fives from his teammates and went home happy! Progress!
Then the following Saturday was his first game. I wasn't allowed to go on the field with him, and he cried and cried and wouldn't let go of my leg. I ended up leaving him with Dennis while I took Buttercup home, because obviously my presence was preventing him from realizing that he could do this by himself. Oliver and Dennis came home later, and Oliver had actually calmed himself down and sat with his teammates during the game! So Dennis brought Oliver to his next soccer practice while I stayed home with Buttercup, and Oliver did all of the warm up, drills, stretches, kicked 5 goals, and came home super excited and full of joy!
Since then, Oliver has really gotten into soccer and I've been able to go to practice and watch him from the sidelines while he participates with the team. And today I went to his soccer game! He doesn't really know what he's doing, but he goes out there and gives it all he has, and I am just so proud of him. It's hard to believe that 3 weeks ago he was crying and clinging to my leg, and now he's out there running around (and falling down, ha ha!) with the rest of his team. :-)
As a side note: Buttercup is 100% thrilled at getting to go to her big brother's soccer practices and games now. She cheers and claps for him, and gives him a hug any chance she gets!!
Here are some pictures from today's game (Oliver is #7). In the first picture, Oliver and his teammates were waiting to take their official team photo -- obviously the perfect time for them to get covered in dirt, right? :-)
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