My 4 year old son has told us he wanted to sign up for soccer in the winter so he can continue playing. I think he thinks he is good at soccer and he also thinks we think he is good at soccer, so he wants to keep at it. The coach that runs the sessions also has expressed to us how he sees potential in my son, so he wants him to join sessions with older boys. In the cold.

Even though it is really cold in the mornings, I drag myself and my son (and sometimes my baby boy too) out to the soccer field. A few months ago, my son was complaining how wet his shoes and socks got from playing soccer and refused to play that day until we coaxed him to play. This winter, it has been a completely different story. He is roughing it in the cold and running around like crazy.

In one of the first classes, he was really motivated to try his best. When the older boys would knock him down to try and take the soccer ball, he beat them getting to his feet and won the ball back a few times. He also scored some goals during scrimmage with the same persistence. There are times where his attention isn’t always there and he ends up wandering about, but I’m really proud that he mostly has moments where he is putting in maximum effort. In the cold.

A lot can change in a few months and the refreshing attitude has made winter soccer (for me) much more bearable. I love seeing my son compete and try hard to do his best. That’s all I really care about. If he doesn’t score any goals or plays horribly, if he just tries his absolute best, that’s all that I want. Whatever happens after that just happens. Then you learn and get better. That cycle applied to anything will take people farther than talent alone and I’m glad my son is putting in those cycles now. In the cold.