Luke and Caden played soccer again this past fall. Porter opted out because it entails running! He was pretty adamant about it. Silly boy. I have to admit that I didn't mind too much, as it meant less running around for me. ;) Porter thinks he is up for it in the Spring, though, so I guess I better get my big girl pants on and accept the fact that this is just part of my life now...I am a mom, a nurse, a maid, a cook, a cheerleader, a teacher, a referee, AND a chauffeur. :)
Fall (and spring) soccer in Wisconsin means those on the sidelines are probably going to be cold. I am not going to lie, it can be pretty darn miserable. It is mostly the wind that is the killer. Out here on the wide-open soccer fields, there is nothing to block the nasty Wisconsin wind.
Luke was on a more competitive team this year (and part of a traveling league), which meant more practices and more games. Ugh. This chauffeur thing is going to kill me!
Fall (and spring) soccer in Wisconsin means those on the sidelines are probably going to be cold. I am not going to lie, it can be pretty darn miserable. It is mostly the wind that is the killer. Out here on the wide-open soccer fields, there is nothing to block the nasty Wisconsin wind.
I saw this on Facebook recently and while it made me laugh, it also make me want one for myself! It's a sports pop-up tent for those of us who are wusses at our children's sporting events.
Luke was on a more competitive team this year (and part of a traveling league), which meant more practices and more games. Ugh. This chauffeur thing is going to kill me!
Luke's practices during the week happened to land on days he had other things going on, like his piano lesson and scouts. This meant he had no time to himself on those days. As soon as he got home from school we were running from one place to the next, with him often eating dinner in the car. This is a boy who NEEDS some down time each day to recharge his battery. It is times like these that I see great value in homeschooling. I am not cut out for that (and I like many of the benefits public school offers), but from what I have observed and heard from friends who do home school their kids is that it frees up time for children to just be children, while still becoming good at school, music, sports and whatever else they are interested in.
Anyhow, I was very worried about this schedule for Luke. After witnessing this boy's unhappiness last year, I was not about to let him slip back into that because he was over scheduled. I prayed to know how to help him and I watched him closely. I learned it didn't take much to be able to read this boy. I imagine most of his teachers would beg to differ, but he is my clone after all so it is easier for me. For the most part, he did great and fared well under this schedule, but there were days I just knew he needed a break. I could see it in his face, in the way he walked, in the way he slumped his shoulders, in the worn-out sound that escaped his lips. So, on those days, we took a break. Sometimes he skipped practice all together, sometimes I dropped him off 30-45 minutes late (practices were 1.5 hours). The relief (read: joy), that crossed his face on those days was validating for me. And when all was said and done, he ended up still liking soccer, and piano, and scouts, and school. Win, win.
Caden was sad that he didn't get to play on Luke's team this year, but he still had a lot of fun and is looking forward to spring soccer.
Anyhow, I was very worried about this schedule for Luke. After witnessing this boy's unhappiness last year, I was not about to let him slip back into that because he was over scheduled. I prayed to know how to help him and I watched him closely. I learned it didn't take much to be able to read this boy. I imagine most of his teachers would beg to differ, but he is my clone after all so it is easier for me. For the most part, he did great and fared well under this schedule, but there were days I just knew he needed a break. I could see it in his face, in the way he walked, in the way he slumped his shoulders, in the worn-out sound that escaped his lips. So, on those days, we took a break. Sometimes he skipped practice all together, sometimes I dropped him off 30-45 minutes late (practices were 1.5 hours). The relief (read: joy), that crossed his face on those days was validating for me. And when all was said and done, he ended up still liking soccer, and piano, and scouts, and school. Win, win.
Caden was sad that he didn't get to play on Luke's team this year, but he still had a lot of fun and is looking forward to spring soccer.
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