Being the mom of a curious four year old it’s fun to see her excited about trying new things and seeing what she likes and what she doesn’t.  Growing up I did piano lessons and church choir and my husband did a lot of team sports, so I think we’re each curious to see where our daughter’s interests will lie.  We’ve always said that we want to expose her to as many things as possible so she can chose for herself what she wants to be involved in.

A few months ago Sophia asked if she could play soccer.  I was kind of surprised since neither me or my husband ever played, but she likes kicking the ball around at school and at home, so I figured why not give it a try.  I immediately envisioned running down the field, scoring goals and playing for the next 18 years of her life.  So, I signed her up through the local YMCA branch and our Saturday morning journey began.

The first week didn’t get off to the greatest start.  We arrived to find out she was one of only two girls in the group.  It also didn’t help that all the boys were extremely competitive and rowdy.  I quickly saw how “kicking the ball around” didn’t translate to the fun Sophia thought she’d have on the field.  After the first practice she left saying “I don’t like soccer, I don’t want to do it anymore.”  I told her to give it a chance and she might just learn to like it.  Well, it’s been an interesting six weeks.  Each week she whines that she has to go, asks how much longer she has and is much more interested in watching the geese fly overhead than concentrating on the ball, but she’s also learned about teamwork, competition and sticking with something.

Saturday is her last game and I think she and I have both realized that she doesn’t really like soccer as much as she thought she did.  At first I was kind of bummed that the first competitive sport she tried she didn’t like.  But, I’ve realized that we’ve made her stick it out, she gave it her best and it’s okay that soccer isn’t her thing.  She has still learned some valuable lessons from the experience and that’s what it should be all about. 

As I’m making dinner last night Sophia came in the kitchen and said, “Mom, when do I get to start doing a dance class.”  Here we go again!