I signed Annabel up for another drawing enrichment, but the morning of the first class I got a call saying the class had been canceled. I guess only two kids had signed up, so the teacher opted out of that time slot. Of course, the call came about five minutes after I’d hyped Annie up to start drawing again. Luckily, the school had a space left in its soccer class, if Annie wanted it. I put the caller on hold and said hesitantly, “Annie? Do you want to take a soccer class?” Her resounding YESSSSS!!! sealed the deal.
I showed up at the tail end of the first class and it was chaos. Organized chaos, but still chaos. There are about twelve kids in the class, all between the ages of three and five. I was laughing because the scene looked exactly like you’d imagine it. The coach totally had a handle on things, but the kids were running evvvverywhere.
Every Tuesday I remind Annie that she has soccer, and she responds enthusiastically. Yesterday I arrived at her class fifteen minutes before it ended so I could get some soccer action. I expected to see Annie running around like a crazy person, but instead she was sloooooowly dribbling the ball on the sideline.
When she wasn’t slowly dribbling, she was picking the ball up with her hands.
But mostly? She looked like she did. not. care. With Annie, that means only one of two things: She legitimately doesn’t like something; or she is sick/injured.
The other kids were running circles around her, and she was like, “Meh. I’m going to sit here on the grass and pick tiiiiiny flowers.”
I tried to stay out of Annie’s line of vision, but she saw me after a few minutes and then slooooowly made her way over to where I was sitting. She looked glum.
“What’s wrong, Annabel?”
“MY LEG HURTS AND IT’S BROKEN!”
Oh, well if that’s all. I ran through my list of quiz-questions to determine the nature of the injury. She eventually told me that in her dream the night before, she’d broken her leg. She was upset that she didn’t have “something really special to make my leg feel better.”
“What’s something really special, Annabel?”
“You know! Like a cast! Or maybe some whipped cream!”
Who knew whipped cream had the power to heal injuries sustained during a dream? I’m no doctor, though, so when we got home I gave her a couple squirts on a spoon and whattaya know? She made a miraculous recovery!
I don’t want her to do activities she doesn’t enjoy, so I need to figure out if the “injury” was because of soccer, or if something entirely unrelated was under her bonnet. She looked happy after the other soccer classes, which is good, but since getting school details out of her is like pulling teeth, I doubt I’ll ever find out what the deal was. Unless, of course, she was just scamming for whipped cream. Who could blame her? That stuff is delicious.
RzDrms says:
Does she feel left out or ignored or was someone off-putting toward her? She looks sad! She’s so social and sweet; I wonder if she misunderstood someone or someone rebuffed her? Ugh! This is why it’d be so difficult for me to have children.
Heather says:
She woke up today with a horrible cough, so I think the reason she was so slow yesterday is because she was getting sick!
RzDrms says:
YAY for no mean kids (that you know of)!
BOO for a horrible cough!
Do you have a PO Box where I can send her some stickers? As I’d mentioned in my Facebook message to you, I’m still not over the “no behave no stickers” dance class. Now she’s sick, and, well, stickers are something really special!
tamela says:
I suggest sticking it out at least until the season is over. Both my boys spent more time picking flowers and organizing freeze tag than actually playing soccer at 4 but they asked to sign up again every year. Now at 7 & 9 they’re pretty good and it’s so great to watch them.
Heather says:
Oh, for SURE! I would never pull her out of anything just because she doesn’t like it. But, I wouldn’t sign her up for it again if she’d enjoy something else.
Jude says:
When little legs in this house hurt without obvious signs of injury, we know it’s growing pains. Get ready to see some high-water pants and too small shoes!
Emily says:
You had whipped cream with you on the soccer field? Wow. Do you just always carry it around as part of your emergency kit?
Ciji says:
I was thinking the same thing! lol You just never know when someone’s leg is broken or you need to make a sundae!
Heather says:
LOL! Proofreading fail on my part! That’s why I shouldn’t write after midnight. But really, I think an emergency kit with whipped cream in it would be genius.
Becca says:
I had the same thought as Emily!
Mar says:
My thought too! Wow, you are the best mother ever!
My girlfriend always referred to soccer at that age as “herding cats” – a truer description you could not ask for.
And I agree with someone who commented above – my kids were often more spectator than participant at that age – if she seems excited to go, then I would say stick it out. She seems like the kind of kid who will have no problem telling you if she’s not enjoying it!
Lisa says:
Preschool soccer is the BEST! Always some kid kneeling down picking grass, another chasing a butterfly, one picking the scab on their elbow,and yet another, gripping their crotch because they have to pee!, all totally oblivious to what’s going on around them.
Chris says:
Love Lisa’s comments, it reminds me when my daughter, now 36, attempted to play soccer. She’s totally into sports but soccer just wasn’t for her. I remember it was a little drizzling and she’s there trying to catch the drizzle with her tongue…..during the game!!!! She only played one season!
Heather says:
HAHA! That’s so funny!
Leah says:
I am a little worried about this as I have signed up my fairly uncoordinated and seriously overconfident 4-year-old for winter baseball camp.
I LOVE Annie’s sweatshirt. Where did you get it?
Heather says:
it’s from http://www.hatchforkids.com isn’t it great? I crack up when she wants to wear it.
Lisa says:
I was going to ask the same question, so I’m glad you answered it in the comments! I love that sweatshirt. Related: even though I wanted to know, I am soooo glad you don’t list what your kids are wearing in each post, for many reasons you can probably imagine. So, thank you for being a normal person.
I hope Annie’s feeling better soon. Some whipped cream on her pumpkin pie should help.
Heather says:
Ha, thanks! You can always ask, but 90% of the time they are wearing something from Target or Old Navy! I keep those stores in business.
Angela says:
Heather,
I just clicked on some facebook link and I swear I saw Annabel’s picture in it.It was 31 things no one tells you about being a parent.#10 was iphone pictures.I’m not sure if this matters to you.I just thought it was weird and that you might want to know?I didn;t know how else to tell you besides here,I read your blog all the time.
Angela
Heather says:
Hi Angela! Yes, that’s Annabel’s picture! Mike actually wrote that post so it’s all good. Thanks for letting me know, though – You are awesome!
Angela says:
He did? That is too funny and makes me feel better!
Tell him it was funny!
roshan says:
It’s such a contrast seeing Annie play soccer rather indifferently compared to her over-the-top enthusiasm for her ballet/swimming lessons.
I think she was just kinda puzzled as to what to do with the soccer ball. I’m not sure a coach can handle giving each and every preschooler one-on-one time. Soccer is mostly learn/enjoy by doing sport if a kid starts this young. But a kid this young also has very low level of focus and concentration so it’s a conundrum.
Peggy says:
I have 3 girls. The younger two love soccer and are pretty decent at it. My oldest gave it the good ol’ college try at about Annie’s age. She never looked horribly out of place — she knew how to run with the pack but stay on the edges of it so that she didn’t really have to do anything. After a couple of little preschool seasons, she played in the last game of that season — a particularly horrible game in which her team had no subs (aka no fun time on the blanket with buddies). Then a dad brought snack — tiny cups of apple juice that he poured from the bottle (no juice boxes!) and healthy crunchy granola bars. On the way home, she asked, “Do I EVER have to play soccer again?” That was her very last soccer game ever.
In hindsight, now that she is 11, I can now see why she and soccer didn’t fit. She likes sports where she does her own thing without someone messing with her — swimming in her own lane, playing tennis on her side of the court, pitching and hitting a softball, and playing volleyball. Basketball and soccer? No thanks.
Give Annie a little more time and, if she isn’t a soccer fan, move on to something else. That’s what being a little kid is all about — getting to try stuff!
Paula says:
I use whip cream to heal all of my boo – boos. I should have mentioned that in an earlier comment so you’d be aware of its healing powers.