Tough Soccer Day

My 5 year old son C has flipped a switch at soccer. Last year, he was very timid once the coach saw his potential and put him with much older boys. He was 4 years old at the time and playing against 5, 6, and 7 year old boys. The older boys would often trample him and push him down. Since he wasn’t used to rough housing (no older brothers at home), it was a huge adjustments to a tough game.

Now, he is a wild, newly minted 5 year old. He is still playing against older boys and his coach still puts him through the paces during the sessions. IT was a tough soccer day since C had to go up against some 7 year olds who have played soccer a long time. They were really good and the coach wanted to see how he would perform against them during the scrimmage. It was 1 on 1, so there was nowhere to hide for C.

It was hard to even try to score against the older boys, but since C is so competitive now, he doesn’t give up when they take the ball from him. He sprints back to his goal or to play defense on the call. One time, he even blocked a shot at the last moment before it went into the goal. During the session, it was so awesome to see C work so hard, but he didn’t feel good about himself since he wasn’t scoring.

I reminded him that it is hard to play against those older boys, but he is competing hard and holding his own. Blocking shots and playing defense is as important as scoring goals (almost!), which was nothing to be ashamed of if that’s what went well. I also reminded him that coach sees potential in him and that’s why these things are a test. It’s a way to measure how well he is progressing and if he is already competing so well against kids 2 years older than he is, think about where he will be at 7 years old! C smiled and agreed. Then we enjoyed the rest of the car ride back and I love that he has persistence during these tough days. It builds character and he can carry that into whatever he chooses to do in the future. I know it’ll serve him well!