For the Love of all Things that Sparkle

I am about to indulge in some "Ta-da parenting" so bear with me.

I know . . . I know . . . practice what you preach, girl, but let's just say this will blog will be my outlet for all things that sparkle.

And, man, did these boys sparkle . . .

On Saturday, the Webster clan headed up to Sussex for the U10 jamboree.  It was the hottest day of the summer so far, and the kids left the field sweaty, exhausted, and down-right pleased with themselves.  They won 2 out of 4 games, and each of my boys scored a goal and a couple of assists. 

Check out the action:

Avery had just finished kicking the ball . . . tee hee!  I love the look on his face.

Elliot on a corner kick.
You can almost hear the mantra rolling through his head: go in the net . . . go in the net.

As much as this looks like it was a sure goal, it wasn't.

Somebody has to teach these boys to keep their tongues in their mouth while playing.

I fear that organized sports can get a pretty bad wrap amongst the parent brigade, and I am afraid that my post yesterday may not have helped.  Some people believe sport teams breed excessive competitiveness, aggression, inflated egos, and over-scheduled, frazzled families, but in all fairness, this is the exception.  For most families, involvement in sports is all about learning to play as a team, exercise and having fun.  And in respect to my post yesterday, this soccer season has taught my children some valuable lessons.  For one thing, Zoe and Elliot were both on teams that lost the majority of their games, and they learned how to weather the ups and downs with class.  They also learned how to get along with some very difficult personalities, to handle constructive criticism from someone other than their mom and dad, and to appreciate the importance of a healthy, well-exercised body.  Not to mention, for us, soccer is a family affair with mom as a coach and dad as the club president.  Being part of a small, community soccer club means we are all on the field together, we play together and we learn together.  It is awesome! 



Saturday's team with Zoe as the assistant coach.



 I just pray the old adage is true:  the family, who plays together, stays together because I can't think of anything that would  make me happier.