Well, we spent the day on the soccer field. It was Soccer Day. All the international schools participate in this event. Each grade level gets a designated week. Today, it was the fourth grade tournament. All the kids meet on the soccer field and compete against one another. The weather was absolutely gorgeous today. I got to hang out on the sidelines and cheer the team with the other moms. Pizza and drinks were delivered. You can imagine what it's like to have very hungry fourth graders trample towards you. I felt like the image of the steak in the "Bugs Bunny" cartoon with the two shipwrecked people on the island. Bugs Bunny was the "steak". That's what I felt like when the kids were pawing at me to pass out the pizza. The pizza went faster than anyone can imagine. The kids were fueled up and ready to go again.
Some of the kids got hurt during the game. It's a part of the process. You can't avoid it. Some kids were hobbling off to the sidelines to sit out for a few minutes. They were raring to go again once they felt a little better. It's funny with the sport. You learn good sportsmanship. Some teams, which shall remain nameless, exhibited horrible sportsmanship. Cursing and name calling would be heard. I wasn't the only mother who heard it. The kids from Matthew's school were complaining about how the other teams would get upset and curse at them. The teachers and parents present had to tell them that you have to ignore that type of behavior. Although, I must say, it wasn't just the kids who would be cursing when a goal wasn't scored. The parents from the other schools would do the same. This takes the sport to a whole different level. The purpose of the game is to play and have fun. Some people just take the game way too seriously.After spending several long hours on the field, the games were over. The teams congratulated one another. We piled into the school bus and we were on our way back to school. Matthew had after school soccer as well. I gave him the choice to leave and go home. He wanted to stay for the after school soccer. SOOOO, I got to sit on the sidelines again and watch another round of soccer. This time, it was kids from his school. No cursing, no yelling, no name calling. It was much more civilized.
