Will Scoring a Goal Go to My Kid’s Head Or Mine?

Since they were born, I’ve used many words to describe my daughters. Athletic has never been one of them. I’d like to think they have always been averagely coordinated for kids their age, but their abilities, behavior, and general interests so far don’t paint them as athletes. My five-year old daughter, Evie, has fallen down standing still. Honest to God, a few days ago she fell down while she was already sitting on the floor. I didn’t even know that was possible. She also did something else I wasn’t sure was possible – scored a goal in her soccer game.

Now that she is in kindergarten, Evie has started playing soccer. Her older sister, Lucy, did too, and is now playing for a third year. Counting the one goal Evie just scored in her very first game, they have one total goal combined. Though I’m pretty sure Lucy leads the league in distance ran while being adjacent to the ball. Thus far in her soccer career, Lucy’s sweet spot seems to be about four feet behind whoever has the ball. Sure, I’m no soccer strategy expert. Outside of my kid’s games, I haven’t watched any soccer since the Detroit Rockers were alive and kicking. But I have to believe proper field spacing wouldn’t place a defender, or a teammate for that matter, constantly trailing the ball carrier. Though to be fair, most of the games at this age are all the kids chasing the ball until the one good kid that each team seems to have breaks free and scores.

Neither of my kids are the good kid on their team, but at least they aren’t the kid eating grass either. Which, by the way, Evie’s team most definitely has.They are there, they are (mostly) paying attention, and they are putting in effort. What more can I ask of them?

I really don’t care if they never score another goal, as long as they are good team members, don’t cry if/when the ball hits them in the face, and make the decision on their own if they want to keep playing another season or try their abilities at something else. But then again…

Could this first goal in her first game be a hint of things to come? Is this the spark that lights an athletic fire? Today it’s a goal in a kindergarten soccer game, but what’s next? Only falling down when there is a reason to do so?

Honestly, I doubt it. Her reaction to the goal was happy, but not as happy as when we say she can have chocolate milk with dinner. If anything, perhaps Evie’s goal will spark a drive in her sister. Upon seeing her sister score and my wife and I being happy for her, Lucy was much more jealous than Evie was happy. The odds of Lucy scoring a spite fueled goal in her next game are probably higher than the odds of Evie even kicking the ball in the right direction in hers.

I don’t want to say Evie’s goal was pure luck – putting yourself in a position to be in the right place at the right time is just good field awareness, right? She chose to stand where she was standing and wait for the ball to roll right to her because it was part of their offensive game plan right? And nobody from the other team took the trouble to run over and take the ball from her in the several seconds it took for her to realize the ball was in front of her and she should kick it in the goal because they knew she was going to kick a dribbler that slowly made its way into the goal fire a laser to back of the net, right? Yep, I’m sure that’s it.

As curious as I am to see how my kids respond next game, I’m also curious to see how I’ll respond. Now that I know she can do it, will I expect consistent offensive output? Will another goal in her next name not be good enough? Will I not be happy until she gets a hat trick. Good kid on her team scored at least four goals, so I doubt his parents are calling Grandma and Grandpa to brag if he only scores one or two next week. If the parents of the good kid on the team expect a higher level of play, why not me?

I used to think that the parents who tried to coach from the sidelines were just jerks, but are they actually normal parents who got tempted by a glimpse of athletic promise that was never fulfilled? Do they actually just want the best for their kids? Did they get addicted to the joy they saw in their kids eyes after scoring a goal and have been chasing that dragon ever since? Na, they are just jerks.

Deep down I know that they are just kids and nothing they do at this age really matters in terms of output of results, or projection of future success. Just the enjoyment in the moment. For all we know good kid on the team will end up playing bassoon in the band never touching a soccer ball again. Kid who eats grass might end up being all-state. Odds are my kid will probably end up somewhere in the middle.

I don’t think I’ll care if my kids never scores another goal or plays another season of soccer. I get more excited over chocolate milk too. Now, if in a couple years my son hits a home run in his first baseball game, you’ll have to check back with me.