Soccer Mom

Well, I'm officially a "soccer mom".

Please do not be fooled...I am not yet completely committed. First, there is my utter ignorance of the sport...like today, when I bought the wrong kind of cleats?! Some for turf...some for grass...WHAT THE HECK?!?

And, I could really miss going for just about anything. Too hot...too cold..we need milk..

BUT, I am determined to help Sam be dedicated to his choice and even today we braved the rain and cold so he could play in his game. Matt is working a second job so it was just me and JoJo cheering but that's okay.

Cheering...I understand that!



Sam is loving it and I will say that he isn't terrible. Although, who can know for sure? I mean the entire game the whole team moves in one cluster together all over the field kicking and often just chatting about their days! Today I caught sight of one of the boys doing a cartwheel off in the corner.

I clapped loud...

It was a really good cartwheel.

We did have our first bad sportsmanship moment, though.

Sam's goalie for his team missed a ball and then sadly, (I was feeling really bad for him and his mom) missed another one. I looked over and saw my son marching down the field towards him and yelling, "Hey Man! You need to get in some practice!"

I said to myself, "Alrighty then...it begins."

I was horrified and wanted to yank him off the field but I kept control and smiled my way to the car where I began to lecture him for ten straight minutes!

I will say in his defense that Sam is really a naive little boy and doesn't get that people can get their feelings hurt. Sam is not one you can ruffle easily and many of the mean things other boys do to him goes right over his head so he tends to relate to others with that same blindness.

His deflection of rejection is good for me, his mother, but bad for other little kids that come in contact with his "no nonsense" mentality.

For instance...I didn't realize that I should get him shin guards and the big socks and cleats the first night. It's a small league and frankly...the ignorance. When we pulled up and I saw all 200 boys dressed appropriately to play, I was internally freaking out! "He'll get made fun of or looked at weird!", kept circling round my mind. I actually counted how many boys came without necessary items and afterwards asked Sam if he cared.

He said, "Um..No Mom! *patronizing eight year old tone* There was like two other kids that didn't have them! Geesh!"

I must be such an embarrassing mother! Oh, how I do go one about such silly things?!?

Sam goes back to traditional school next year and it's going to kill me...literally.

Sam will be fine...

I will be 13 all over again.