Tis the Season! (Soccer season that is...)

Danny had his first day of soccer practice yesterday and we are pretty amazed at the difference a year makes. He's still just learning the basics, but he actually listened to his coach the whole time and followed directions. He also did a better job than usual of getting up after falling down and continuing rather than just crying and running to a mom to console him. It's really fun to see him mature and also to see him having so much fun.

I'm curious to see what kind of sports mom I'll be. After reading so much about "helicopter parents" and the cultural shift toward everybody getting a ribbon or trophy for every little thing, I guess my feeling is that I don't want to be overly "great job!" on every little thing he does. Not just in sports but in life. On the other hand I do want him (and Benji too) to see how proud we are of them and also that we are paying attention. Guess I'll figure this out as I go along.

I know I won't be the kind of mom that pushes their kid to be the best one in any given endeavor. We all have special gifts, and the most important thing for me is to see that our boys are engaged and excited about what they are doing. It's an interesting thing to experience--this parenting thing.

Alrighty, without further ado, here are a few photos of our soccer dude!