That's my boy!

Today the entire family partook in the Be Well Walk (key here is WALK), on Lady Bird Lake.

This is what Lukas felt was appropriate attire for the 3.65 trek:

Lukas finished the "race" wearing a bike helmet, soccer jersey and chin guards. And I'm happy (yet a bit concerned) to report that his true competitive spirit was alive & well. Each time someone walked past us, he would say, "Mommy we have to go faster, the people are passing us".

He wore the helmet all the way home.

And he....scores!!!

Let's start by stating the obvious: I love sports. Always have.

It's no wonder days like today leave such lasting impressions on me.

Today, Lukas had his first soccer game -- while his big brother was off taking his SAT.

And while I thought I had accepted long ago not to approach any kids' sport with expectations, it appears the lesson was not fully learned.

See, when C was Lukas' age, he too played soccer. Going into it, I imagined that my C would end up loving this game as much as I do. But when dandelions captured his attention more than the ball rolling by, I knew we were in trouble. He played a couple of seasons --always happy to join his friends but never playing with his heart in it-- before calling it quits. I can't say I wasn't sad, but I also respected that it just wasn't for him.

When a few years later C's tennis coach said he was impressed with my little boy's natural talents, I once again let my imagination run free. But it wouldn't be.  C was more interested in betting his best friend that his tennis ball could go highest, instead of working on his form. Tennis met its doom.

Thanks to these sports, I thought I'd learned to just" go with the flow". I thought I became the parent that allowed to have my kid tell me what he was interested in and move on when he said he just wasn't "into it" anymore. That's how I got through C's baseball, basketball and football seasons.

This morning, because Lukas (as we all know) can at times border on being anti-social, I had a glimmer of hope that he would like soccer, but I expected the very worst. I wasn't prepared for what happened.

The day started as most mornings at the SantaCruz-Parra home: Lukas fought me on getting out of the house and whined that he didn't want to play soccer. The more I tried to help him imagine fun and cool scenarios, the more he protested.

He left me no choice, so I did what any good parent would do: I bribed him one "Ben 10 Echo Echo" toy if he would just go watch his teammates.

The night before, Juan and I had taken Lukas to Academy to get him shoes, socks and chin guards. It wasn't an easy task, but we got out of there with all the supplies we thought Lukas would need for his first game. This morning, Lukas wanted nothing to do with any of it -- but he wanted that toy, so he agreed to get in the car, dressed, with no shoes.

Just like the days leading to today, our conversations in the car were about how excited we were to see him play and how his friends were waiting for him. He sat in his carseat silently. 

Once we arrived to the fields, he saw a small girl around his age in full soccer gear. He immediately asked that I put on his shoes and socks...and his chin guards. Within seconds of getting one foot ready, he wanted it all off.

I chose to compromise. He wore his regular shoes and the long soccer socks. No guards.

We quickly found his coach Sam, who is also Lukas' pre-school teacher & the only reason we dreamed of getting Lukas into soccer this year. This brought a smile to Lukas's face. Our next hurdled came in the form of absent friends. Lukas repeated over and over that he didn't want to be there and wanted to go home. Nothing Sam said changed his mind.

Lucky for all of us Joaquin, Lukas' best friend, arrived soon after. Within seconds of his arrival, the two buddies were in front of the practice goal, shooting and encouraging one another. My heart was happy. Lukas was happy.

Still, I panicked a little when Sam said it was time to move over to the playing field. It was a few minutes before the game. But Lukas followed Sam and his teammates with no reservation.

The 50 minutes of playtime (these tykes take lots of breaks) were filled with plenty of emotions for him:
-- He was so happy to be on the field, that he danced.
-- He was upset because he wanted water.
-- He was excited because he and Joaquin got to run after the ball together.
-- He was frustrated because he just couldn't understand why he couldn't keep making goals... Yes, he scored a goal!

In retrospect, I guess all were within a normal range of emotions and part of a day's work for a kiddo who only turned 4 on Monday. (Happy birthday once again Lukas!) 

Nothing I 'expected' for Lukas' first game happened for the reasons I expected. He had a great time (not a miserable one, like I thought) and his breakdown came from a lack of goals, not from wanting to leave.

I love that I was so wrong. Maybe this is a reminder go back to "going with the flow".

Photos: 
This was taken after his goal. I know you're wondering so I'll address it: Lukas was the only one without jersey because he joined the league late and didn't get his shirt until after the game. 

Lukas, center, and his best buddy Joaquin, right, had a blast playing together.