I think I need Mom Counseling!!

Here I am...the wife of an incredibly talented and competitive athlete.  He undeniably excels in all things competitive.  You have your basic sports like baseball, football, basketball....then your individual sports like golf and tennis....then the other ones that usually invovle drinking--horseshoes, pool, darts, bowling, beer pong....all of it...in the bag for Greg Bayly.  He can even run really fast when it comes to mud runs and obstacles.  I am obviously very proud to have such a talented man for a husband.  With competitiveness and mastery skills like his, my pride is also accompanied with fear.  I have always feared how he will be with our kids as they begin various sports and activities.  I even recall lecturing him long before we ever even had kids.  I remember saying, "What if our kids don't even like sports?" (Implying that it was a possibility and he better be okay with that).  His answer was always, "Yes, they will." My biggest fear though was him being too hard on them, of course.  I have always worried about Greg's expectations of them. I mean, I am a loving, nurturing, gentle mother who is proud of my children no matter what . . . right?

NO!  I need help!  Greg is surprisingly cool, calm and collected and I might need to start taking medication before Brielle's soccer games now! 

So here's the thing.  This is her first year of real soccer.  She's on an all-girl team.  I totally expected it to be a bunch of little girls running around like chickens with their heads cut off.  Um, not so much!  These five and six year olds are hungry for that goal!  They are rough and tough.  They don't cry when they fall down.  Granted, they don't really pass to one another yet, but they sure know how to dribble down the field and kick it in the goal!  Now, Brielle loves practice, loves the social aspect and really loves the snack they get after their games.   As long as she is happy --  I know!  But when I go to her games and watch her dancing in circles....looking for four-leaf clovers....playing with her hair....singing songs....all while the game is happening all around her, I heat up inside! I know!  She's only five!  I know!  But I want her to be hungry for the ball, too!  I want her to know what is going on around her!  I didn't yell at her, but a few times I would say, "Come on Brielle!  Get it!"  She looked back at me and shouted, "No!"  She also stuck her tongue out at me! 

Greg and I have to switch each week because Camryn's soccer program is at the same time.  So my turn to take Brielle was yesterday.  Twice she got the ball and dribbled all the way down the field. 
The.  wrong.  way.  Consequently, the other team scored both times.  (Her team still won...see paragraph above about hungry goal-scoring girls---many on her team).  I texted Greg from the game to tell him what happened and he replied, "Wow!  That's great for her!  She didn't touch the ball the entire game last week!"  When we got home, we talked about it some more (not around her) and he reiterated that he still thinks that is great that she actually dribbled all the way down the field.  He didn't even care that it was the wrong way! 

What is the matter with me?  Granted, I didn't say anything to her...I told her she did great...and despite the coaches and other spectators yelling, "Wrong way! Wrong way," she still had no idea she even did that.  Greg just says, "She just doesn't get it yet.  Oh well." 

??  So, I eat my words.  I need to chill out.  It's not that I am not proud of her, I guess I was just expecting athletics to be a non-negotiable with our kids.  So, obviously I am learning a lot about myself lately and what I know I need to do is relax, encourage them and just make sure they are having fun.  Besides, this is litereally our first go with a team sport.  (Another reason why I might need medication).

My mom says I was the same exact way when I was little!  We are just going to continue enrolling her in various activities like dance, swim, music and gymnastics to get her a taste of everything.  Meanwhile, she is doing awesome in school, has a keen ear for music and is extremely reflective and artistic. 

Life with little kids is busy and crazy, but I think I'm realizing the challenging stuff has yet to come.  I started realizing this last year when the mean girls emerged in preschool.  And I am realizing that I need to give hubs a little more credit.  All his girls have really mellowed him out ;)