Soccer & Parenting

Coaching 2 teams this year has really underscored how different my kids are from each other and has proven to be quite a parenting feat.  To break them down a little bit (in terms of soccer, at least):

Julian -- Loves the competition and is very enthusiastic (probably more enthusiastic telling and re-telling stories of his game time exploits).  Still a little nervous about fully engaging for fear of contact;
Caleb -- Has really been a struggle to kindle much enthusiasm for the game.  He does love being part of a team (cheers, joking with other kids) but could take or leave the game itself;
Jack -- 4 years of trying to keep up with his brothers has really made him a pretty great player.  He had 4 goals on Saturday before I asked him to help other kids score (where he had 3 or 4 more assists).  Very laid back in terms of personal stats and loved helping the other kids score as much as scoring himself.
Christian -- Definitely my most aggressive kid.  Sometimes goes after the kid rather than the ball.  Loves the competition and loves to promote his accomplishments (he had 3 goals on Saturday and held up a finger after each goal to indicate just how many points he was racking up).  

I wish that I could say in this post that I've mastered the intricate workings of each of my kids' minds, but such is not the case.  My efforts are just as likely to blow up in my face as yield the desired result.  That said, I'm crazy about each of them and grateful for the opportunity to be their dad. Soccer has been a good opportunity to really work with them and I'm grateful for that.