Mission Accomplished...

I snapped this picture right before I took Joseph to the second soccer game of his young life. Everyone else was still at the pool finishing swimming lessons, so Lucy and I came home to feed Joseph some lunch before starting the frustrating project which is getting shin guards, soccer socks, and cleats on a young child!

I was warned. My husband took Joseph to the first soccer game of his young life last weekend. He said that Joseph did this prance/gallop around the field and pretty much avoided all the action never touching the soccer ball. I had high hopes that the hour-long soccer practice between then and now had much improved his game.

Nope! Lucy and I watched Joseph play about 20 minutes of a 40 minute game. My husband had the description perfect, but he left out the disinterested/depressed face and obsession with how much water was in his water bottle (he kept coming up to me to give me a status).

I was embarrassed as I tried to remember what is really important. As his coach tells the boys countless times during every practice and game: The most important thing about soccer is to BE NICE and HAVE FUN.

And, truth be told, he was definitely not alone. There were other 4-year-old boys out there acting the same. I really enjoyed the conversations with the other parents. I realized that we were all in this together...Joseph wasn't really standing out like I thought!

Thank you God for my healthy child who can run. Thank you for opportunities for him to learn sportsmanship and team building at such a young age. Thank you for a coach who thinks the most important thing is to be nice and have fun! Thank you for a beautiful fall day.

After the game, Joseph said, "Thank you for taking me to play soccer, Mommy." I asked if he had fun. "So much fun," he said. Mission Accomplished!