Learning to Lose and follow through...

My girls are playing their first season of U8 recreational soccer. It's going to be a long season. You know that team in every rec league that's so green you feel kinda guilty playing them? You can tell them because the kids don't know what's going on, how to score, and the coach is practicing meditation on the sideline to get through the game. Guess what? My girls make up 1/3 of that team. We probably won't win a single game. We may not score a single goal. But I will still consider it a winning season for my girls. In fact, they will learn more from this season then any other they will play.

    In the age where "everyone's a winner", my girls are learning to lose. They are learning to handle their disappointment. No fits. No stomping off the field. No taking our ball and going home when things don't go our way, or a referee makes a poor call. They are learning respect for authority,teammates, and opponents. They are learning to shake hands, and hold their head high because the soccer score does not define them. They are learning to show the love of Jesus Christ even when it doesn't feel good.

Their parents are learning how to lose with them. I grew up playing sports. I spent most of my time on the team at the other end of the spectrum. I was a ringer who played on a team of ringers. We won a lot. Not all the time but a lot. I learned from that but not this lesson well. I find myself having to step back. Having to pause the rephrase my criticism as encouragement. Having to remind myself that this is good. No,it's no tons of fun to watch. It's natural to want to win. But my attitude is the model for theirs. If I scowl and pout, so will they. If I choose my words poorly, so will they. So, I vow I won't because this is about something greater than a ball and a goal.