Maybe Your Kid’s Not Ready For Soccer

Soccer season is in full swing.  This is the time when parents run around ferrying the precious little ones all over the city trying to find which field they play on.  It could be very stressful, especially if you are a parent with more than one kid playing soccer.  In my case, I have 3 and each of them.  On different teams.

Last week it was my turn to take my 3-year old to his second game of the season.  My wife told me that he was doing really good and even scored a goal so I couldn’t wait to see him in action.  Unfortunately he seemed more attentive to daddy on the sidelines than he was on the ball.  He took regular timeouts to wave at me, inspect the grass and even running off the field prematurely to tell me a story.  I kept urging him back to the field of play.  When the ball happened to roll his way, he at least ventured to kick it.  Not so with some of the other kids.

Soccer is a great and cheap tool for young kids to learn team sports and social skills.  I am not sure it is effective if the kids spend the hour standing around inspecting the grass,  crying to get off the field or just showing a total indifference to the game.  Granted, a few kids do change as the season progresses but in most cases they don’t.  I for one would not think it is money well spent to watch my kid wander around a soccer field.  For free, I could take the little one to a park and kick a ball around.  If he doesn’t like it, we could come home and call it a day.  Sometimes as many as three parents are on the field urging their little ones on. Holding their hands and guiding them to the ball like a seeing-eye dog.  At my last game, there was a mom with a baby attached to her in one of those baby knapsack things running around the field with her soccer-playing son who was the least bit interested in being there.

Maybe I expect too much.  Maybe I’m one of those parents you read about.  (No, I’m not!).  I just think that there are cheaper ways to get your little ones to get out, play and socialize with other kids.  But maybe it’s actually for the parents to socialize with other parents…Maybe the parents need the exercise more than the little ones do.  Some parents have taken the hint from their kids and stopped taking them to soccer.  “I am not sure he likes it so we don’t bother taking him anymore.  Plus, I don’t enjoy chasing him around on the field.”   By their actions, the kids have spoken.  Maybe they are just not ready for soccer.  At least that’s what I think.

• That Soccer Season (caramieandtheboyz.wordpress.com)
• Moms vs Dads

My Take On The No-Kids Movement

It seems that as much as we take a step forward as a society, we take two backwards.  We keep this up and pretty soon we would be back in the dark ages.

Did you know that there is a  No-Kids Allowed Movement out there? Until recently, I didn’t either.  I just found out that it has been around for some time now and is growing in leaps and bounds.  The movement even boasts its own Facebook page.  Does this remind you of anything? Think racism.  Think of the signs that used to read ‘Whites only, no blacks allowed’.  (Sorry, I normally hesitate on using my color as example but in this case it helps to underscore my point).

Some  restaurants, theaters, hotels and even grocery stores are already banning kids from their establishments.  Yep. Just when you thought we were over this BS.

I am a dad of three little boys so I can’t fathom this nonsense.  This is not only a strike against my kids but also against me.  If you cannot accept my kids then you cannot accept me.  We are a packaged deal.  If I can’t take my kids with me, would you babysit them? I didn’t think so.

I understand the argument that kids can sometimes be nuisances especially when  in public places like stores, restaurant, church etc.  but isn’t this going too far?   Should we keep them away from school too as they are a bother to teachers? How about church? I am usually interrupted by a crying kid while in the sanctuary.  Is this an excellent reason to put up the ‘No Kids’ sign?  You have to agree with me that is it a bit much.

Having kids is a choice that not everyone makes.  Some who does make that choice  should have opted not to.  In some cases, they are the ones who make it bad for us parents with good intentions and parenting skills.  Those who exercise their rights not to bear children sometimes try to impose their choices on others.  This No-Kids nonsense is one such imposition.

Children learn from their environment and keeping them away from establishments does not serve any purpose.  They are too loud on planes, too unruly at the grocery stores and movie theaters, well have you seen some adults lately? Maybe even yourself?  Some of us are not exactly model citizens and are worst than some kids.

Kids are not second-hand smoke, we can’t go around putting up ‘No-Kids’ signs.  What do you think that would do kids? What would it do to you if suddenly you were banned from places because of your sexual orientation? How about autistic adults who operates at the intelligence level of a child? Ban them too?

Let’s see, instead of putting all this on the kids and letting them pay such harsh penalty, how about we put the blame where it belongs? On bad parenting. Parents who let their kids roam unchecked.  Parents who breed kids like a kitty mill just so they can take advantage of the system. Parents who are kids themselves.  Why not go at them more aggressively?  Make them more responsible.  If they are on social assistance, discourage them from having kids.  Enlighten them.  Let them attend parenting workshops as part of their requirements for getting assistance.   These are just some ideas but there are more.  Do what you must but leave our children alone.

Related articles

• http://shine.yahoo.com/parenting/the-no-kids-allowed-movement-is-spreading-2516110.html
• http://michaeldouglasjohnson.com/2011/07/28/the-no-kids-allowed-movement-is-spreading/
• http://suburbanturmoil.com/the-no-kids-allowed-movement-is-spreading-and-im-glad/2011/07/27/