The Soccer Game Spectacle

Today was the perfect day for a soccer game! Our oldest son, Alex, is in his 3rd season and absolutely loves playing soccer. So, we do all we can to get to the games every weekend, on time. However, getting a family of 5 out the door for anything is always a chore, so my decision to sleep in a bit this morning was my first mistake!

Alex had team pictures this morning at 8:45AM, a game at 9:30AM. But since the kids didn't get to bed until sometime around 10:30 last night, we decided it would be in our long-term best interest to allow them all to wake up on their own, versus our waking them all up and having 3 grumpy kiddos for the entire day! They were all up by 8:15, which worked well since that gave us an hour to get dressed and into the car. Getting out the door on-time wasn't a problem today! We drove into the parking lot just before game-time, so Alex jumped out at the curb and ran over to his field so that he wouldn't miss kick-off.

After locating a parking place, Michael & I unloaded the other 2 kiddos, 2 chairs, the double stroller and all of the paraphenalia that must be taken to the game to keep everyone happy (drinks, snacks, etc.). Once we got to the field, the game was underway, but thankfully we hadn't missed anything yet. One of the mom's informed me that there was allot of mud today, so I should be careful. Maybe I should have taken her warning seriously...

The first 2 quarters went as they should have, with Alex almost scoring the first goal of the game - stupid goal post! During half-time, all of the kids took their break time seriously as they each stood around talking with their parents and taking their criticisms in stride - 'stay with the ball', 'pass the ball to your other team mates', 'pay attention to the game', 'stop playing around and falling so much'. The 3rd quarter was upon us before we knew it, so the coach started calling all of the players back to the field and getting them lined up or to their appropriate positions. With all of the typical fanfare, we watched the kick-off and started cheering for our team like all good parents do.

All at once, I saw Alex on the ground and realized that he had been 'injured', so like any other mother would do, I ran out onto the field to see if he was ok - or needed stiches! Thankfully, it was just an elbow to the eyeball, so the coach told him to go sit for a bit, then to get back out on the field when he felt ok again. With that, we turned and started for the sidelines. It was at this precise moment that I suddenly found myself sitting in the middle of the field in a pit of mud! Yep - you read that right - I had stepped right into the pile of mud that all of the kids kept sliding through. My flip-flop-wearing feet had slipped right out from underneath the rest of my body, causing my butt to meet the ground with a sudden and sharp THUD!

So, there I was, sitting on the muddy, wet ground, looking at all of the parents, looking at me! The coach came over to help me up, then to comment..."Wonder if anyone caught that on video?" Gee, hadn't thought of that! As gracefully as I could, I stood up and started for the sidelines again, this time being a bit more cautious of where I stepped. Once safely away from that darned pit, I turned around to show my posterior to the crowd, which immediately brought cheers and clapping. As I made my way to my chair, Michael looked up at me, and with a smug look of disgust asked, "You didn't just fall on your butt in front of all of these people, did you?" All I could do was laugh...what else could I do?