"You know what it is...
Black and Yellow, Black and Yellow, Black and Yellow!
So, we decided to sign Elizabeth up for soccer this spring. Meet team Shockwaves! We thought she might like soccer a little more than ballet (which is regimented and structured and not something she is liking much these days). And because my wild child loves to run and has so much energy, I thought this would be a great fit. Not to mention, quite a few of our friends were planning on signing up, so we thought that would be a huge help with adjusting to a new experience.
Turns out, though, soccer is not her favorite thing, either. In fact, it can be down right stressful for her, especially on game days. Since most of the kids are still pretty clueless on what to do, all the parents and coaches are trying to help out by yelling, "Go! Go! Kick it! Run! Go! YAY!" It kind of puts her on the spot, and I can tell she's feeling pressured and overwhelmed and NOT happy. At a few games, she threw her hands in the air and yelled, "This... Is... FRUSTRAAAATING.... ME!!!" And she'll often run off refusing to play. Most of the time, though, she's do her best to participate. And often if its just drills or practice shooting, she'll really get into it and enjoy herself. It just kinda depends on how pressured she feels, I think. Here she is below, putting on her "parking break."
Apparently, though, we picked the best team to be on, because almost ALL of her team mates are feeling the same way. At one of the practices, this tiny, sweet baby-chic of a little girl scored a goal, and everyone shouted, "YAAAAY!" to which the little baby chic just burst into tears! It's stressful I tell ya! And at our last official game I was told there was a point in the game when only ONE of our players was on the field... all the others were either in their moms laps, chasing butterflies, or simply refusing to play--lol!
Of course, I think she's doing a great job despite some of the anxiety that I know she's feeling. And to be honest, when she isn't feeling pressured, and they are running drills or doing something fun, she really gets into it, and is one of the best players on the team! I remind myself that my first season of soccer I was also nervous and confused and wasn't really sure what was going on most of the time, but by the next year, I LOVED it! It just takes time. We will plan to finish out the season and hope each game gets better and better. And fortunately for us, there are a FEW things this girl just LOVES about soccer....
