Soccer Mom

You are never too young to play soccer.

Augustine has been kicking a soccer ball since he could walk,

but since moving back to VA, he has really been into it.

He loves watching Luke play and cheering for him.

During the games he will ask me,

"Daddy just scored?"

or

 "Daddy get hurt?" 

At the last game he yelled from the stands, 

"Be careful, Dad!"

{He also yelled, "Dad.  Dad!  Hey!  Heeeyyy!!  Daaaddd!!"

It's hard to explain to a three year old that just because he can see his Dad, his Dad can't see {or hear} him...or stop playing in the middle of a game to have a conversation. :)}

 

At Luke's game a couple weeks ago, Augustine took 7 cents from his pocket to the merchandise trailer, and our sweet friend who runs it let him "buy" anything he wanted.

 

He wanted a soccer ball.

 

I can confidently say that at every moment since his birth we have had an average of four soccer balls, of varying sizes and materials {leather, fabric, plastic, etc}, hanging around our house...

but none have had the appeal as the ball he picked out himself.

 

The night we got it, he was kicking it around with some friends on the field after Luke's game.  Some of the bigger kids dribbled away with it, and he came up to me in the most genuinely sad and concerned way--with his bottom lip trembling and all--and fought to get out the words, "Mom, my ball," with tears forming in his eyes. 

{Anyone who knows my child knows a much more typical

response would include frustration and a loud cry}.

 

He hasn't stopped playing with it since.

The other day Luke grabbed a Sharpie and wrote

"Gunner Verc"

on it.

I know this sounds crazy, but I had to keep myself from crying.

 

Watching him share something like soccer with his Dad is enough to make me emotional...

but then when I add in how fast he is growing up and

becoming his own little person

with his own little ball

with his own little name on it...

well, that makes me cry.

 

I wonder if he will continue to enjoy the game as much as his Dad has. 

The chance of him becoming a pro are very small, but I wonder if he will choose to play in high school--and if his teammates will call him Gunner {his nickname}--or even just, "Verc," like his Dad was called by his teammates.

 

This whole Soccer Mom thing is getting real, and I love it!

Bring on the orange slices and Gatorade!