As a soccer mom, you drive to practices, games & buy snacks with a big fat smile on your face. You slice those oranges, whip up that sun shade and either sweat or freeze your way through the season. When the last game comes you do this internal dance that can be read from mom to mom. We just look at one another and there is this secret mom shine that emanates from us as we wink and think to ourselves "I won't be seeing you next Saturday". We giggle within and meanwhile look at our kidlets out there running their hearts out and cheer them on. We actually can feel that maybe next Saturday we can sleep in and tiptoe through the tulips. Now don't get us wrong, we know that freedom is short-lived and in weeks another new sport will take the place of this one but we will take what we can get.
Last Saturday I went to the fields with that strut in my step. I erected that umbrella for the last time of the season and cheered on those kidlets……..but I sure emanated knowing that these were the final two games.
Bright and early there was Joey's game and they rocked it out with a win and FIRST PLACE!
Then on to Tyler's Game where we ended in last PLACE (hey, you cannot win them all)!
Tyler had a great game and this is where things started to fall apart…..The All-Star Coach (who happened to coach Joey's team) came over and dropped the bomb. "Tracy, Tyler should try out for the All Star Soccer Team". What? Who? Where? When? I could feel the shine that I was emanating start to dim. Other moms were looking at me with petrified looks. What? Drag this out for weeks more. Was he really doing this to me? Quick, think of an excuse….um….hmmmmm………NOTHING! I had nothing. The word wizard had nothing! (and by the way, I have never referred to myself as the Word Wizard but it sounds so much better than Big Mouth).
And behind me that little rat of a kidlet had a great save as goalie where he leapt up like 39 feet (makes the story sound better) in the air. STOP already! This is not happening! The coach winked at me and said "See, that is an All-Star save". I sunk in defeat and said as he walked away "That was just to get back at his mother".
So there I stood as those other moms emanated………….Yeah me. I will have you know that I was the only mom who dropped off her son at tryouts and said "Do your worst and don't make the team". Yet again, he goes against my wishes. Guess who made the team.
And guess who has to drive to three practices per week and spend her weekend at a soccer tournament. Yep tis me, the once emanating Word Wizard. So goes it in the life of a Soccer Mom.