Hunter & Soccer

So Hunter started playing soccer though the Malibu-Palisades YMCA a month ago. He had been requesting to go to "soccer camp" for the last year because at one of the parks we go to in Santa Monica there is a soccer camp that he loves to watch. We told him he had to be 3 to go to soccer camp. Hunter's third birthday came and he didn't forget, and for months he has been saying, "I'm 3, I can go to soccer camp now". Wanting to follow through on our promise, we signed him up for "Iddy Biddy" soccer at the Y. When I bought him shorts, shin guards, and socks, he insisted on putting on his new gear over his pajamas so that he could sleep in it. Of course, when he got his jersey the following Saturday, he wanted to wear his full uniform 24/7. The jersey is one of the ugliest I've seen, but he loves it. His team named themselves The Yellow Hornets. They practice for a half hour on Saturday, followed by a thirty minute game. While Hunter loves the idea of soccer, his attention for the actual practice drills and game are lacking. Bottom line, he loves to wear the uniform and just be there. When we asked him why he didn't try to get the ball during the game, he responded, "I didn't want to take the ball away from my friend- it wasn't my turn." The parents of the four-year-old kids on the team assured me that next year Hunter will understand the game more and actually play. For now, we are just happy that Hunter is happy he gets to "go to soccer camp."