Soccer Mom

Well it's official....I'm a Soccer Mom now! Harrison had his first ever soccer practice last night, for his Under 5 Community Soccer League! It was kind of a bittersweet moment as a mom. On one hand I felt so proud to watch him participate in his first team sport event, while at the same time I felt sad as he walked onto the field and I had to relinquish him and some of my power over to his coach, knowing that a part of my job as a mom will be now filled by someone other than me.

When they are babies, you spend all of your precious time cuddling them, feeding them, meeting their every need, making sure they are safe and that they feel secure and won't have any seperation issues as they reach toddlerhood. Then in what seems like only a breath away, they are preschoolers starting activities on their own, and you want to sit on the sidelines and cry for your baby back! I carefully and strategically prepared him for all of these moments, ensuring that he wouldn't feel abandoned by me, when the time came for him to set out and begin the long journey of slowly spreading his wings, which will eventually lead to his independance. But I forgot to prepare my own heart for the trauma of letting go. He was ready....it was me and my heart that couldn't take the agony of being seperated and handing the responsability of teaching him something as important as being a team player over to a complete stranger! Who did this guy think he was?! He's a man for crying out loud...not even a mom! What did he know about my precious preschooler?!

As it turns out....a lot more than I gave him credit for! Harrison loved his first practice, loves his team and adores his coach and hung on every word he said! Not only did Coach Carson teach them how to kick the ball, he taught them how to play Freeze Tag, enticed them into a game of Catch The Coach (Harrison was the only one able to do it!), he helped them name their team (they are now known as the Briar Hill Dinosaurs) and he handed out yellow team t-shirts (Harrison calls his a jersey!). He did all of this while showing a genuine interest in every kid on the team, despite the fact that 2 of his own daughters play on the team, and he encouraged and cheered them on with great enthusiasm...the way a good coach should! I can do all of that, however, providing him his own team to learn and grow from is one thing I can't do. And now that I've seen how much fun he had, I would not want it any other way!

And so I have decided that as a mom, there are certain things only I can give my child, but that does not mean that I am to be his exclusive life's coach. There are many people who will help Harrison on his way, and we will all work as a team to get him to the finish line. Sometimes I will be his coach, sometimes I will be a player, but I will always....ALWAYS, be his greatest fan, cheering him on the loudest from whatever position I happen to play that day. And I will always have a smile to show, tears in my eyes and pride in my heart, for he truely is the brightest star in my sky! (or field!)