Caroline has been playing in a city soccer league this past year. Her team is called the Pink Panthers (name selected by the team members, not Orem City). Spring soccer has just begun and they look like they are off to the same kind of season they had in the fall, having never lost a game. Since it is only the recreation league, they don't record scores, wins or losses. Heaven forbid some little girl get her feelings hurt by the cold reality of life that some people are better at soccer than others... Our team parents have coined the phrase, "We don't keep score, but we do keep track". So far we have had two games- the first was won 21-2 and the second 12-2. Caroline actually scored four of the twelve goals this last Saturday, so we were pretty excited. My personal soccer-mom mantra has been "Praise the hustle". In other words I try to congratulate her for working hard and running as fast as she can etc. rather than the number of goals she scores. However, I am secretly really excited when she scores! I have been thinking as I watch these young girls at soccer games- are they being raised to be more aggressive than girls of past generations? I sit on the sidelines and holler at her, "Go get it! GO! Come on, get in there!" I think she has gotten the message from this and other ventures that I want her to go get the things she wants, rather than waiting for them to come to her. Boys have always been trained like this, especially in sports, but since title nine and the WNBA more and more girls are playing sports and simultaneously hearing the messages of aggression associated with them. I think/ hope it is a good thing. One thing is for sure- there is nothing passive about our Caroline. It's so fun to watch her try all kinds of things.
