First Soccer Practice (That we went to)

At Carrie's request, we skipped soccer to help around the house last week. This week, we were going.

Shane knew it, but he was not happy to see me when I pulled up to afterschool. All the kids were on Minecraft. Minecraft!

Not only that, the teachers had assigned the kids to make a hurricane shelter in the game!

Shane nearly had a meltdown. If you know him at all, you know why. I don't think the teachers could have picked a better project for him and here I was to ruin it and make him run around in the heat.

He came against his will, but I got him there.

Soccer is actually a chore for me this year. I have to drive from my work to Shane's school, turn around and drive back past my school and continue on to where Shane's practice is. It's about 30 minutes in the car for Shane and 50 minutes for me.

I understood Shane's frustration, but I wasn't happy to hear griping when I had stopped what I needed/wanted to do for work to spend nearly an hour on the road.

I had hoped there would be a Scottsville team, but only one other kid from Shane's school was on the team. We're committed this season, but there is a Scottsville group that formed last year I may sign Shane up for in the spring instead.

Shane's a hyper-active, soundbox, space cadet and it shows around the other kids. He's the only one dancing in place and monologue-ing when the coach tries to huddle everyone up, but I think that makes sports all the more important for him. It's a physical and social outlet. It lets Shane feel like he belongs to something bigger than himself (even if he would rather be playing Minecraft).

I was surprised Shane didn't offer to play goalie. He was vocal about his prowess as a defender and eager to show it off.

Shane had a solid first practice. He looked good. Mostly. Shane and I really need to work on his kicking form. His idea of a power kick is anything but.

The coach called me up from the sidelines to join in.

He put me on the opposite team of Shane with a grin (Shane was mortified!).

I ran around with the kids for the last 15-20 minutes. I really enjoy helping out. I just don't want to be responsible for everything when I have so many other priorities that conflict.

The coach seems like a well organized guy. He had spare water, pennies, gear, and an idea of what he wanted to do. He's been communicative over email and has clearly coached before.

I wonder who will be the first old friend we run into on the field.

I didn't want to waste all the driving, so Shane and I went into town for dinner and an errand. I let Shane choose ChicFilA or Costco. He wanted CFA until he learned we were only doing the drive-through.

We ended up getting pizza, yogurt, and groceries at Costco. Shane got to watch some scenes from Rogue One on a huge TV (It's the best recent Star Wars movie in my opinion even if not for Shane's age).

Tonight was a good night. The commute is a pain, but we'll see how the rest of the season goes.