When your kid becomes your inspiration

Throughout the summer, she protested. We kicked the ball around in the backyard but she was only interested in picking it up and running with it. LOL. J and I started second guessing our decision and had no clue what to expect with the season just around the corner. Needless to say, we were a little apprehensive ourselves.

Liv was a little timid at her first practice but she had a good time (even asked SEVERAL times when her next practice was). Her coaches were absolutely stellar at engaging the 4 and 5 year olds. About 35 minutes in, it was time to start a game that involved a lot of ‘dribbling’. Liv sat out and laid by the sidelines, saying, “I can’t dribble. I don’t want to do it.” My heart sank. This confident, cheerful, strong, spirited girl doubted herself. Words of encouragement did not propel her to get back on her feet so we watched her teammates dribble by the sidelines.

Four days later, we were at her first game on the turf and something changed. She got right in there with her teammates, chasing the ball, blocking the goal and even dribbling. It didn’t matter if she touched the ball or not. She was content. Everything she felt during practice seemed like it never happened. Her attitude was inspiring.

I think this post-game photo says it all:

If this is any indication that she loves the sport, then J and I have got an exciting road of soccer parenting to come!

There’s so much I can take from this experience but the main one would be to forget the things that I’m not good at and to have fun with whatever I’m doing. Like they always say, “life is too short” for anything but happiness.

What is your favourite mood lifter when you’re not feeling your best?