When Parents Play
A couple Sundays ago the girls and I surprised husband out at his soccer game.
I married a guy who is married to soccer, and a lot of the times I resent it, and I groan, I question it and nag….nag….Buuuuttt…..when the weather forecast has a ball of yellow in it, and go support the sport!
It didn’t take any convincing for my girls who have both been juggling a futbol since they were bouncing in Jolly Jumparoos- seriously, I have a video clip of Rem that I ran across on my computer the other day. But besides liking soccer, and LOVING their Baba, this particular field has it all- nestled along the foothills you have a beautiful drive and scenery getting out there- you pass a lot of small ranches and horses… and then this field house specifically is an old school ball club where they have spectators who dribble in and out and you’ll find everyone mingling by the grill where they have hot dogs, brats and burgers… and beer of course, for post game brews.
The girls aren’t into that, but the play ground they have at the top of the hill with a zip line, slides and swings, and of course other kiddos who have dads in cleats to play with. We have come here on and off season after season since before we had babes, and they are very familiar and comfy with the place. Husband too- he scored five goals that day! I like to think its because his family showed up that brought him great luck. He has the skills, but something about looking up into those bleachers and hearing your name called out, it must be a high. The only thing I can compare it to is ballet and dancing on a stage when I was young. It is thrilling when you are performing. This is his art. He does it very well.
After the game, he took the girls home and I checked out a thrift store out there in a new location. A thrift I had never hit! Truth be told, it was not very good- perhaps it was cleaned up that Saturday, but I had no luck that day, or my mood was off and I just wasn’t into it. Either way, I spent a lot of time in there and came out with $12 in children’s Halloween books. I popped in the grocery next door and headed home.
If I am being completely honest, I’ll tell you that I am still learning and discovering that taking time out of what I would typically plan for all of us to do together as a family, and choosing to watch their Baba play soccer instead is a big step in slowing down, and combating FOMO. We might not do it EVERY game, but here and there, being fair weather fans for their Baba, is important. It’s nice to validate your hobbies with family support. Maybe one of these days I’ll have them watch me take a dance class. These girls have tagged along with me to pilates before, but I have to say, I was up vertical most of the time telling them to stop bouncing on the balls and climbing on the Cadillac, than lying horizontal and getting my practice in. Moral of the story is that its nice to include your kiddos and fold them into some of your hobbies and interests, but its still okay that it’s not every time. Balance.
Sundays always were labeled as “Family Days” growing up, and I sort of like carrying that tradition on.
…Glo
Wearing: Lo is wearing a sweatshirt dress from Zara that was first her sister’s- lucky ducky to get such hand-me-downs. You can find similar burgundy sweatshirt style- look at THIS! Or this cute, and caj dress from Target. R’s jeans are Joe’s and such a cute fit! We thrifted ours, but they can be found at Nordstrom. R is so adorable, she had to wear this hat, and she wore it the entire day! YES! My girl… you can find one similar here.
