Thriving Parents

shifting Parenthood from barely surviving to thriving

Not what I expected…

See #4 up there?  That’s my kid.  NOT playing soccer.

On Sunday morning I woke up still sporting the fever that I had the night before.  

Our girls woke up in two different mindsets.

Caroline woke up saying, “Woo hoo!  We have soccer today!”
Kate woke up saying, “Do we have to go to soccer today?”
As the day wore on, the anticipating grew more intense.  
Caroline got more and more excited. 
“Can we leave for soccer early?” 
Kate got more and more nervous.  
“Are people going to watch me?“

We arrived at the soccer field.
Caroline bounded out of the car dribbling her soccer ball.
Kate cried because we told her we’d have to take out her earrings. (Instead, we covered them with bandaids.)

Soccer practice began and something strange happened.  
Caroline cried on the field.
“I don’t want to play.  I don’t like these games.”
Kate’s smile hadn’t been this big since her last swim lesson.  
“This is awesome!”

Caroline spent a good majority of the soccer practice and game sitting next to me on the sidelines.  She also spent a good majority of it standing in the middle of the field.  I didn’t push her and allowed her the space she needed to feel more comfortable.  

I’ll be honest, I was totally taken off guard.  She’s our sports loving girl.  She has amazing coordination, is fiercely competitive and LOVES soccer.  It seemed weird for her to watch and not play.  But I know that she’s a kid who needs to take her time.  She needs to approach it on her own terms and in her own way.  

As we walked off the field at the end she said, “I have to walk slow.  I worked really hard today.
This kid? She’s a funny one.


Have your kids ever caught you off guard?

xoxo
–k

Look at what happened the next week.  I was feeling like I was *that* parent.  


Kristina Grum is a Certified Parent Educator who has over a decade of experience working with children, including being a classroom teacher. She currently teaches parenting classes in her local area and writes about shifting parenthood from barely surviving to thriving.
Kristina Grum is a Certified Parent Educator who has over a decade of experience working with children, including being a classroom teacher. She currently teaches parenting classes in her local area and writes about shifting parenthood from barely surviving to thriving.