End of Season Soccer Party

Aden just completed his 4th soccer season.  He has been with the same team and coaches for each season.  Now that summer is here, it is time to reflect and take a break from the soccer field.

Tom and I really wanted team sports to help Aden learn important life skill such as respect and team work.  In the end, Tom and I ended up learning more about respect and team work than Aden did.  

Here are a few things that I learned  (in no particular order):

*  Playing sports is not like playing a musical instrument.

*  There should be "Suzuki Sports" but there isn't.  Best not to fight the system on that one.  :)

*  It is just as important to celebrate the small successes as the big victories.

*  At the end of the day, the most important team you can ever be on is your family team.

*  It is okay for kids to participate in sports just for the fun of it.  

*  Being a "sports mom" can be worse than a "stage mom" (and it is easier than you think to turn into either one)

*  Even though I'm competitive, I don't care about winning.  I do care about excellence and that is not measured by the final score.

*  Having patient coaches is essential for first time sports parents.

*  Even when I try to do the best thing, I can still mess up.

*  The ability to focus can be more valuable than the ability to play the game.

*  All the skill in the world isn't worth much if you don't like what you are doing.

*  It is okay for kids to participate in sports just for the fun of it.  Believe it or not, I really didn't know that parents signed their kids up for sports simply to give them something fun to do.

Here are a few things I'm still struggling with:

*  It is okay for kids to participate in sports just for the fun of it.  After all, if we just wanted Aden to have fun he could just stay home and play Wii.  I really do want him to learn from the experience.  I don't care if he wins.

*  I think kids should be expected to try their 100% at all times and in all things.  Maybe that isn't realistic.

*  Maybe soccer isn't Aden's sport.  Maybe he should just switch to something else.

*  Now that Aden is playing baseball for the summer he doesn't want to do soccer anymore.

*  Aden says, "Now that I've quit soccer, I'm doing baseball.  When I quit baseball, I'm going to do gymnastics.  I wonder what I will do when I quit that."  Even though he hasn't "quit" soccer, what kind of lesson are we teaching him if that is what we let him do?

*  I was raised on a very Eastern style of learning.  Sports is NOT learn by any sort of Eastern philosophy.  It is very difficult to go from Tiger Mom to Soccer Mom and I may never be able to be both.

So....I have learn A LOT but I still have more to learn.  This team sport thing might be just as important for me as it is for Aden.  I love him to pieces.  I am grateful for his coaches.  I know I've over analyzed this but that is just another thing I have to work on.  :)