Good Teammate

During the week, my 5 year old son C plays soccer in a league. One of his friends from school wanted him to join and of course he begged us to sign him up. I actually really like the league that is set up during the week because the coach is really awesome and they get to play four and four with some other kids. Plus, it gives C a session to get his energy out!

During the middle of the league season, C was getting really comfortable with everything. He knew all the players on his team and their strengths. Also, he knew that he was the best player. This led to a lot of goal scoring by him and he had built up confidence that ultimately crossed the line.

When C got subbed out of the game, he really wanted to stay on. He ran over to the sideline and just watched his team give up some breakaway goals. Then, he told my wife and I that he wouldn’t let that happen if he was in. That’s where I was quick to correct him that he needs to be a supportive teammate even if they cannot hear him.

What I got back from C was a response that his comment was true. I said it doesn’t matter if it’s true or not, you could also make mistakes and allow that to happen. Nobody is perfect and you need to try your best while just be encouraging to your teammates. He needs to inspire and lift up his team. That’s what a good leader does.

My wife had a long talk with him on the sideline on another substitution and reinforced the same thing, but probably in a much nicer tone. The goal was to make sure that C knew his comments were not appropriate and that he had to be the right kind of leader for his team.

By the end of the game, he understood what we meant. He still scored a lot of goals. His team still won. What I hope is that the lesson is what he remembers most from that day (and a few of his rocket shot goals).