Growing Up So Fast

I have two daughters, who I tend to refer to as Thing 1 and Thing 2. Thing 1 recently turned 10. Thing 2 just turned 4.

The soccer club in which I coach just added a program for 3 and 4 year olds, starting this spring. Having grown up on a soccer field, watching her sister's games, Thing 2 is desperate to play. So, Santa brought her a size 3 Adidas soccer ball....white and pink.

Today, we took her to a sporting goods store where he got her a pair of shin guards (tiny shin guards too, I can't believe they make them that small), a pair of soccer socks, and her very first pair of Adidas boots (which she insists are sneakers....she doesn't believe me when I tell her that they're called boots). They are white, with pink stripes and pink cleats.

Tonight, we did what any father and daughter would do....we kicked her soccer ball around for 20 minutes inside the house, down the back hallway. She is quite good, for her age, with passing, different kind of traps, and after she saw me make a backwards pass, she had to try it too, very much a Brazilian style.

Thing 1's season starts in 2 weeks. Thing 2's season starts on March 21, so it's going to be a long month of watching Thing 1 play while she sits the sidelines. But, that should give her plenty of time to practice Cruyff turns and bicycle kicks.