Beautiful sunny early Monday morning .. Both my boys are on the field at the soccer practise...Coach Jose at his usual best trying to get his 4 yr old campers .. listening to him-follow directions , learn some soccer skills and above all have fun and burn some energy ... hush ( too many expectations isn't it ) ! About eight moms including me and few dads on the sideline watching, cheering and socialising ... Our typical suburbia scene...
About halfway through the session, coach decides to play a match.. Every time the kid who gets the ball from the coach scores a goal.. ok cool.. everyone is happy... Now coach wants them to grab the ball from each other and play.. ( isn't this how soccer should be played ?) and all these eight kids on the field are LOST ! All good mannered kids raised by mostly educated well to do stay at home moms.....everyone is just kind of running around, looking at each other, trying to figure out what to do... From the sideline, some moms are starting to yell " steal the ball...come on ". Coach Jose calls " No.8 ( thats my boy ) come on get the ball and score " and here's what I hear on the field...my little boy ask the kid with ball, " Excuse me, can I get the ball ? " .....a small laughter and 'oh so sweet' comments erupt on the sideline and I am stunned !! All the accolades I get for being a good mom raising oh so great kids ! yikes...
Somewhere deep within I feel slightly lost... well pampered yet well behaved kids..yes I have two of them....and its not just me .. I have surrounded myself with several moms with similar wave length....after all, our kids can play with other kids only when we plan and approve their playdates.....( isn't it more like if us moms gel, our kids naturally gel well ;) .....Haven't I read and followed enough books to let kids be the kids... ... maybe its just over analyzed parenting style .... I remember my parents always use to tell me ' try NOT to say NO to kids for a day '... I would just smile and nod my head to them... forget the day or the hour for that matter... questions/introspection/dilemma....think about it friends !
" come on.. steal the ball.. lets go " moms around me are cheering from the sideline and the obedient kids are trying to follow their directions ! Life is so less complicated when you are only four :)
2 years ago
