Poor Coop
My husband has always coached our girls' soccer teams. He was the high school soccer team captain and he played soccer for his undergrad university and in general, he loves the sport. Plus, he's a supportive and involved dad so he likes to participate with the girls and to encourage them.
This has stood our older daughter, Ana, in good stead because she gains confidence from his confidence in her. She trusts his counsel and she enjoys doing activities with him.
It has badly misfired with our younger daughter, Jane, though. She doesn't want to share her dad with the other girls on the team and she doesn't even want to BEGIN to give her dad the idea that she might LISTEN to him. It's been a very frustrating, endless soccer season for Coop because he leaves work early to make sure they can get to soccer practice and he gives up his Saturday mornings so that he can drive Jane to the field and watch her mope around and not even try when the rest of her teammates are trying their hardest. It's especially galling because she's such a natural athlete and she would be a great player if she would try. PLUS, she WANTED to play and now we have to threaten and bribe her to get her to finish out the dang season. Coop has vowed that after this season, he'll never coach Jane again.
So, imagine his chagrin when, last night, she fired him.
"Dad? Can you NOT coach me? Just coach the other team, okay? Because when Coach [insert name of Coop's co-coach] coaches me, I score goals."
Last week, Ana and her dad were having a serious talk about cursing. Ana wanted to know if "crap" was a bad word and Coop explained that it wasn't so bad in the grand scheme of things but it wasn't a GREAT word and she should probably avoid it. So, then she whispered, "Dad? Is F - * - C - K a bad word?"
Coop said that YES, it was a VERY bad word. It might just be the Mother of All Bad Words. A TERRIBLE word and that she should never say it, especially at school.
"But, Dad? You say it ALL the TIME."
(Okay, I was going to add some pictures just for interest and to break up the text and then I accidentally hit "publish" instead of "save." So, um, interesting pictures will be added to some future post. I so miss my brain.)
(No, I couldn't stand it. Had to add the pictures anyway. The cat picture makes me laugh.)
This has stood our older daughter, Ana, in good stead because she gains confidence from his confidence in her. She trusts his counsel and she enjoys doing activities with him.
It has badly misfired with our younger daughter, Jane, though. She doesn't want to share her dad with the other girls on the team and she doesn't even want to BEGIN to give her dad the idea that she might LISTEN to him. It's been a very frustrating, endless soccer season for Coop because he leaves work early to make sure they can get to soccer practice and he gives up his Saturday mornings so that he can drive Jane to the field and watch her mope around and not even try when the rest of her teammates are trying their hardest. It's especially galling because she's such a natural athlete and she would be a great player if she would try. PLUS, she WANTED to play and now we have to threaten and bribe her to get her to finish out the dang season. Coop has vowed that after this season, he'll never coach Jane again.
So, imagine his chagrin when, last night, she fired him.
"Dad? Can you NOT coach me? Just coach the other team, okay? Because when Coach [insert name of Coop's co-coach] coaches me, I score goals."
Last week, Ana and her dad were having a serious talk about cursing. Ana wanted to know if "crap" was a bad word and Coop explained that it wasn't so bad in the grand scheme of things but it wasn't a GREAT word and she should probably avoid it. So, then she whispered, "Dad? Is F - * - C - K a bad word?"
Coop said that YES, it was a VERY bad word. It might just be the Mother of All Bad Words. A TERRIBLE word and that she should never say it, especially at school.
"But, Dad? You say it ALL the TIME."
(Okay, I was going to add some pictures just for interest and to break up the text and then I accidentally hit "publish" instead of "save." So, um, interesting pictures will be added to some future post. I so miss my brain.)
(No, I couldn't stand it. Had to add the pictures anyway. The cat picture makes me laugh.)
Comments
I was going to leave a long comment about my own experience as a child with That Word....but I think I'm gonna co-opt the idea for a blog post instead! (And no, there's no recording of last week's performance. But I'll let you know if one ever comes available! You're totally great for my ego, you know!)
PS - your kidlets looked awesome for Halloween!
Anyway, I managed not to curse in that particular situation, and I resolved to watch my mouth better.
In my defense, I learned the art of cursing from my mom, who can curse like a sailor when she's in the mood. Sorry mom, but it's true.
Great pics! Are you LOVING the weather?!?!?
They pick it all up, the good and the bad, add it to what they brought with them when they came to earth, and if we are very blessed and very lucky, turn into people we are happy to have sitting at the table with us.
But oh! those course corrections [theirs, ours] are never convenient, and rarely welcome at the time.
Poor Coop! Give him a big ol' hug. And on the other hand, how marvelous that you are raising a child who is able to articulate her needs. Tact may follow on its own schedule.
hokgardner's mom
I like DaMomma's approach. Like with alcohol and staying up late, somethings are for grownups to use, and some things are not. Grown-ups are *supposed* to have the skills to use words like (and things like I mentioned) that in appropriate circumstances. Of course I've never told my kids that. I just apologize and say I'll try to do better, because that is what I want from them too.
Coop is too sweet. Must of hurt like a son-of-a-um-gun to get fired like that.