My growing sports fanatic

The other day, while he was taking a shower, Cameron said to me, “Mom, I have a problem.”

Just his tone made me want to laugh. But in all seriousness I responded,“Yes? What's wrong, honey?”

“There are two things I want to be when I grow up and I can’t figure out which one.” He obviously was having a very pensive shower.

“Oh really? What are they?” I asked. I couldn’t wait to hear this. He used to say he’d either be a teacher or a doctor. But somehow I could tell he wasn’t quite thinking along these lines anymore.
“Well, one is to be a doctor.” Good. Glad that hadn’t changed.

"And the other one?" Please say teacher, please say teacher, I thought to myself.

“The other one is to be a football player.”

Hmm. Cameron has never played on a football team. We don’t watch football in our house. We don’t even talk about football. But he has a few friends who are football fanatics. Oh, and one of those friends has a Playstation football game that Cameron plays every time he’s at his house.

“A football player? Cameron you don’t even play football. You play soccer. You’ve been playing soccer for three years now!” I said, trying to remind him of what he really likes. Trying to make sure that he doesn’t try to switch fall sports on me. I played soccer and I like watching my son play soccer. Very little equipment to be responsible for. Very few injuries. Football?….um, no thank you.

“Well, I want to play football now. And now I don’t know if when I grow up I should be a football player or a doctor.” he stated, as if this really was a dilemma that needed to be solved now...while washing his hair.

“I’d say a doctor,” I responded, without hesitation of course.

“Why?” Cameron asked, sounding a bit disappointed in my suggestion.

I wanted to say, Because that’s the smart thing to be, the sensible thing to be, and according to your father the ONLY thing to be. But instead I responded with a more convincing, “Because doctors help people.”

“But football players can help people, too. Like the quarterback helps his teammates get a touch down, and then he gets to do a dance like this…" I’ll spare you the details of his little jig, as it was not pretty.

“Well, I still think you should be a doctor,” I said, as if my opinion really mattered to him at this point.

"Nah, I think I’ll be a football player."

Next thing you know, he's going to start telling me he wants to be like every other Minnesotan and be a hockey player. If he tells me that....well, we might just have to move.

They finally won...I guess

This is Cameron’s third year playing soccer. He loves it and is quite aggressive…meaning, he’s pretty good….I think…from a parent’s standpoint.

When given Cameron’s original soccer schedule, oddly there were no games assigned to this weekend. This worked out well, since my best friend Lanette was flying in from Philly for a brief visit.

However, last weekend, I learned that there was actually a “Soccer Jubilee” in place for this Saturday. This involved 3 half-hour games in a 3 hour time period. One at 9:35, one at 10:35, and the final one at 11:35. Who thought this would be fun? (None of the parents that I talked to).

On the flyer, it said that representatives from the competitive soccer league and trainers would be available during the jubilee. The kids are SIX, do they need trainers?

Fortunately, my neighbor across the street offered to take Cameron with her to the early games. I arrived with my crew just as the 2nd game was ending. Unfortunately, they had lost both of them.

But the third game was something else. Even Cameron, who hates when he has to sit out, was exhausted, and asked for a break. His red cheeks worried me, as the sun beat down upon them. But after some Gatorade and time in the shade, he was ready to attack that goal again.

And they actually won. Finally, it seemed that they were able to dominate the other team for a change….even with the kid on their team who always picks up the ball with his hands….even when he’s not goalie! Cameron’s team actually won a game. And he scored a couple goals.

Okay, they played a girls’ team…but most of the girls were taller than them. So they still won, fair and square….I think.