Anna's (and Daddy's) First Soccer Game

I guess today was just not a good day for soccer. It wasn't the weather. It was a beautiful sunny day with a bit of cloudiness and a breeze to make it comfortable. It wasn't the uniforms. All of the kids looked so cute in their red soccer shirts, new shoes, and shin guards. It wasn't hunger or thirst. Snacks were ready, plenty of water was close at hand. Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed.

This year we decided to sign Anna up for soccer. The teams filled up quickly and she was placed on a waiting list. When Chris spoke to the organizers they told him she could be put on a team if enough children signed up but they often had a hard time finding someone to coach. Chris bravely told them that if there were enough children he would be the coach (even though he had never played soccer!). It wasn't long after that that Chris received his roster. He is the coach of the "Tornados" and has 5 children on his team. They had their first practice this past Thursday. Three children showed up but they all seemed to have a good time. We were all excited about the first game. Anna's excitement apparently wore off fast. To start off, she didn't want to eat any breakfast. I managed to talk her into a banana (and then, 2) before she left. Then it was time to get dressed. Even though she had seen the uniforms and got to pick out her own number (she's number 4) she wasn't too happy about her appearance. She pouted and said "I don't look cute". She wanted to wear her purple dress. We had a little talk about why she couldn't wear the purple dress and everything seemed to be okay. Well, at least until we walked into the bathroom to fix her hair. She was not happy to learn that she could not wear her rainbow barrette in her hair for the game. Hair clips and barrettes are not allowed. It's just the rules. The final blow came when she was not able to ride to the game in Mommy's car because Jaden was sleeping and I had to come a little later. Apparently, there were tears the entire car ride. When Jaden and I got to the game I was surprised to see our friend, Laura, out on the field. I thought "oh, how nice of Laura to help Chris out". Laura is a former soccer player and coaches a team herself. When I got closer I saw that Laura was actually trying to get Anna to play. She held her hand and ran all around the field with her but Anna would not even kick the ball. When Laura had to leave it was all over. She quickly assumed my seat with her brother and sat watching the other kids under a beach umbrella while eating grapes. She reluctantly got in the game one more time but cried the whole time! Maybe next week will be better...