It’s hard to believe that just one year ago my girl detested soccer. Just the mention of it made her cringe.

“I do not like soccer, mom, and I don’t want to play!”

Now, here she is having completed Fall Kiwanis and Winter indoor soccer, and practicing for Spring OCL soccer. Jon and I both watched her first practice on Tuesday night. She hung in there with her girlfriends who have all played longer than she has played. She didn’t seem imtimidated. And she didn’t seem upset when they were practicing chest stops and head balls with their hands behind their back – even though she had trouble with them both. Most of the girls were getting in the rhythm but Ri was scared of the ball hitting her chest and head. After practice I told her we’d practice the next evening. 

“Ok, mom,” she said to me as she played with a couple of girlfriends before we left. She wasn’t worried about it one way or the other. Last night, after she finished math, she asked if we could practice. I grabbed her ball as she slipped on her new cleats and we headed outside. She got the hang of stopping the ball with her chest in barely no time at all. She was a bit more hesitant with head balls but after putting her hands up to block the first one, she asked me to let her try again. And she let that ball bounce right off her forehead. 

She asked Jorge to take a video of her performing her feats so she could send it to her soccer coach. After three takes – due to baby Elena interruption or imperfect head balls – we got the video. Her coach wrote her back and told her “good job!” And for that, we got a double dip Jeni’s ice cream cone.