soccer... soccer soccer... rants on cycling and kids soccer... that may be the tone of the new and improved gwadzilla blog!

was going to edit this
should really edit this
this needs to be broken back down into the gwadzilla puncuationless format
but I do not have the time the energy or the concern

Story in the NY TIMES on parenting...

my time is no longer my own life as a husband and father has its responsibilities being the father of two young boys has its obligations my primary obligation is to try and raise these boys each to be the best that each can be in fact... I often tell them to let me help them to be the best that they can be sadly... they often fight my efforts this weekend past involved soccer... it looks like my future weekends will involve soccer soccer and various other activities right now the only structured activity outside of school is soccer so... my almost 8 year old son Dean is trying out for a "travel" soccer team while my son Grant who recently turned five is on a soccer team that I coach their soccer skills are good... they are not stand out players... yet they are solid little soccer players... when they want to be sadly... I do not know how to flip that switch to make them want to play their best moments ago I got off the phone with my wife... in this conversation I asked how the "try outs" went... she told me she would tell me when we got home not that they went bad... but she clearly did not want the conversation to happen with the subject of the conversation within ear shot it is common sense that the children are always listening when you are saying something that they should not hear so... on Saturdays as coach I battle with my five year old son trying to get him to participate... as the coaches son I want him to lead by example... his example tends to be a "bad example" so... as I trouble shoot all the emotions of the various children of other parents... I also need to trouble shoot my own son and honestly... I am not sure how to properly motivate him in fact... I often have better luck motivating the other children better than motivating my own Grant is a good little ball player for a five year old... when he is on... he is dead on... again... he is not a stand out player... but he is good... not jaw dropping good... but he is an effective little ball player... but only when he wants to be... his time on the field can waver between solid play and day dreaming... he is five... I always have to remind myself... he is five yet it frustrates me especially since the first game he was sensational the night before Grant's first game I gave him his uniform... he slept in his uniform and woke up early... he played a game with an intensity that made me proud... he scored so many goals that I did not bother to count... that night he had a hard time falling asleep... while trying to put him to bed he told me that he wanted to play soccer... not kick the ball... but a soccer game that intensity and passion has not returned since game one there have been moments but nothing quite like that first game as for my older son... well... the try outs for the "travel" team are three sessions... today was the second session... as said... I just got off the phone with my wife... I am not sure how things went... just as I ask Grant to give me 40 minutes of focus on soccer on game day... I asked my older son to give his all at the try outs... actually my advice was more simple than that... I asked three things of him 1-listen to the coaches... 2-try your hardest... and 3-have fun not sure what happened today... as an adult I know how hard it is to overcome malaise... but we as adults know to drink coffee or to play through... children... well... they can so often become victims of their moods and/or energy levels there is one more day of try outs... not sure what happened today

spoke to my wife... after a day of school dean was not in the right frame of mine... he did not play up to his potential... he was not on the ball... but apparently he did okay when they were testing him as goalie... one more try out session... fingers crossed

what happens happens... either way he will continue to play soccer
and if we can increase the number of pick up games with friends I am sure that his skills will advance even without the movement to a different team with more structure and better coaching