It was a pretty hot summer and unfortunately we had to miss a number of weeks due to vacation, sickness and other commitments. I’m not sure if it was one of these things or a combination of many but Hannah’s desire to go to soccer waned greatly by the end of the season. She went from running and chasing the ball to begging me not to go and sitting on the grass playing with the clippings.
In the end I decided to end her season early by one week when we were leaving for Disney the following day. She was so happy not to have to go. This isn’t like her so I’m not really sure what happened. She went from a girl jumping with excitement on soccer nights to being almost in tears when she knew it time to go. We cut our losses and called it a season.
All of this happened more than a month ago and since then Hannah has spoken fondly of playing soccer so I’m not sure what 2014 will hold. I’m not going to write it off based on a less than stellar season but before I sign her up I want her input and commitment. She’s a speedy little runner so if she chooses to continue I know she’ll do well but I also know it needs to be something she wants to do, not just something I want for her. Time will tell.
For now, I leave you with a pic from the beginning of the season when Hannah was ‘all in!’
We had a similar experience just a few weeks ago, but with ballet. All Charlotte talked about the last little while was going back to ballet--oh, she would do the most beautiful dances around the room, so I was sure she was interested in returning. We had a trial class the first day, as we changed dance studios. She was happy when the class was over, but when I asked her if she wanted to dance before I paid the fees, she immediately said "no." I decided to let her sit with the decision for the week and would occasionally ask her. The answer was still "no." The final decision was made moments before we were to leave to attend the next class--still the answer was "no." To avoid a weekly battle, we decided not to take ballet this fall. Charlotte has never mentioned it again; however, last night she started doing some ballet moves around the kitchen. It was like she was teasing me. Ugh! Isn't this a great age?!
ReplyDeleteAhhh, glad to know it's not just us. Marin is finally old enough to play hockey this season & he says he doesn't want to play. He still wants to take lessons with a skate coach, so we are hoping he changes his mind next year. What's up with these 4 year olds?!
ReplyDeleteMaybe she isn't ready for the competition. I remember playing soccer at 6 years old and I was shocked at how competitive the parents were!
ReplyDeleteThere is no competition at all at this age. It's all fun play where the kids are on a tiny field and they kick the ball towards whatever goal they wish and there are no goalies. The majority of the time is working on skills using a variety of fun techniques and props like hoola hoops, pylons and tiny hurdles.
DeleteThe parents were on the sidelines cheering on all the kiddos since there were no teams.
I would always trust your instincts as the mom.
ReplyDeleteMy oldest absolutely hated going to sparks, yet she asked to be signed up every year. She quit when she was about to start brownies, and finally explained that she though WE wanted her to be in it! Maybe Hannah got bored with the skill training and such? Four year olds are pretty fickle, I can tell you that. All the best!
ReplyDeleteOh, this breaks my heart. Hannah may be too young at this point, but when my girls wanted to get involved in something, I made sure they knew it was for the ENTIRE season, therefore, "think about it carefully."
ReplyDelete"Entire" is a very long time in a little one's life.
Today, my older daughter is a scientist working at the Canadian Space Agency who uses the same training method on her 4 children, one of whom was adopted from China; while the other daughter always finishes everything she undertakes. Just a thought from one mother to another; however, no two children are alike.
huggies to you,
Grammy Carol