I heart soccer. The only thing better than watching my own kids play soccer is watching the World Cup matches.
As parents, my husband and I made a conscious choice to sign our eldest up for soccer over T-ball. We could only afford to enroll him in one activity that year, and soccer it was.
Our thinking at the time was that soccer was more egalitarian, less US-centric, and, as a sport, would reinforce values such as cooperation and teamwork. Also, we figured, soccer could be played just about anywhere, by just about anyone, and didn't require special equipment...in a pinch, any ball with bounce would do or a wad of rags.
Soccer can also be played alone.
So far, this has proven to be a good decision and we don't regret it. For the most part, it has been a very positive experience for all three boys. It has been a positive experience for us as parents, too. In fact, I've missed sitting on the sidelines with the parents of Nathan's cohort this past season, since he didn't play spring ball nor is he playing June league.
Both of the older boys have met and formed what very well could be life long friendships playing soccer.
However, the absolutely one of the bestest "soccer is wonderful" stories I've heard was posted to my facebook wall today.
I had started the thread by commenting that I like the sound of thousands of vuvuzelas being blown en masse. Really, I do. At least on tv.
One of my long-time friends, from waaaaay back in high school, commented that she imagines her one son, who is autistic and not highly verbal, must also like the sound of the vuvuzela. In her words:
tom and i both think the drone is what makes george a world cup fan. today he even said "soccer" -- and he RARELY says two syllable words.
Doesn't that speak to the miracle of soccer? How awesome is that!!! It brought a tear to my eye.
Soccer has certainly rocked his world.
As parents, my husband and I made a conscious choice to sign our eldest up for soccer over T-ball. We could only afford to enroll him in one activity that year, and soccer it was.
Our thinking at the time was that soccer was more egalitarian, less US-centric, and, as a sport, would reinforce values such as cooperation and teamwork. Also, we figured, soccer could be played just about anywhere, by just about anyone, and didn't require special equipment...in a pinch, any ball with bounce would do or a wad of rags.
Soccer can also be played alone.
So far, this has proven to be a good decision and we don't regret it. For the most part, it has been a very positive experience for all three boys. It has been a positive experience for us as parents, too. In fact, I've missed sitting on the sidelines with the parents of Nathan's cohort this past season, since he didn't play spring ball nor is he playing June league.
Both of the older boys have met and formed what very well could be life long friendships playing soccer.
However, the absolutely one of the bestest "soccer is wonderful" stories I've heard was posted to my facebook wall today.
I had started the thread by commenting that I like the sound of thousands of vuvuzelas being blown en masse. Really, I do. At least on tv.
One of my long-time friends, from waaaaay back in high school, commented that she imagines her one son, who is autistic and not highly verbal, must also like the sound of the vuvuzela. In her words:
tom and i both think the drone is what makes george a world cup fan. today he even said "soccer" -- and he RARELY says two syllable words.
Doesn't that speak to the miracle of soccer? How awesome is that!!! It brought a tear to my eye.
Soccer has certainly rocked his world.
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