First, was Rhett at 10:30am.
Here's Rhett and his teacher Mrs. Wiegel. He LOVES her. And so do we!
Next, was Braden's lunch at 11:20. I only got the one picture, because Miss Gracie was a little upset from this point forward...
It rained all day on Friday, so Jason got to come home early. After school, we all loaded up and went to the mall to get all 3 of the guys' haircuts. Man, was the hair flyin' up in Mastercuts! They were some shaggy boys!
When we walked up to the chair to check on Jason as he was getting done, Gracie said, "Daddy, You a Cool Dude!" It was the cutest thing!
They all look SO handsome with their new groomed heads!
The boys had gotten gift certificates for free kids meals at Chick-Fil-A from school, so we used them and ate a little snack while we were there at the mall.
Friday night was Family Movie Night. We watched The Tale of Despereaux. It was very cute. Braden had read two versions of the book in school this year, so he had a hard time not telling us what was going to happen next. He did really good though. The boys must have been REALLY tired, because as excited as they were to finally be watching the movie, they both conked out before it was over!
Saturday, we were up bright and early, and left the house around 9:30 for football games. Rhett's game was first at 10 and then Braden's at 11:30.
Instead of calling it "Saturday Morning Football '09" let's refer to it as "Mud Bowl '09".
Here's my pictoral evidence:
Here's Jason's shoes after the game.
And here's Braden's cleats after the game.
You ought to see those muddy-used-to-be-white-pants now! I just got caught up on my laundry today (3 days later), but those pants are gleaming (almost) like brand new!
In case you ever have whites turned browns and you need some pointers, here ya go:
I rubbed a paste of granulated dishwashing detergent and water on them on Sunday(Yes, I forgot about them (or just put them out of my mind at least) until Sunday, so they sat with mud all night Saturday and that made it worse... Jason used the high pressure nozzle on the water hose and beat off all the mud he could, and then I started the process...)and then before I went to bed, I sprayed them down with a ton of aerosol Spray and Wash. Then I let them sit overnight and washed them the next day in hot water with granulated Gain detergent, Oxy granules and bleach. Rhett's came out sparkling the first time, but Braden's knees were a little dirty still, so I sprayed them with Spray N Wash again and let them sit all day and washed them in the Triple Combo of Whiteners again. They look awesome now!
I have a little dilemma about football, if you'll lend me your ear, and your advice.
Braden is very fortunate to have his dad as one of the coaches of the team. Everyone that knows my husband, knows that he is the nicest guy in the universe and everyone loves him. They have fun at practice and at games and win or lose, they tell the boys they've done a great job. Exactly what youth sports is all about. Kudos to the Panthers.
But... sadly, Jason couldn't help with both teams because practices and games overlap, etc. Braden's team needed help, but Rhett's already had 3 coaches in place, so that's why he's helping with Braden's.
Ok, back on track, here's my dilemma.
Rhett's team is the total opposite of what I described to you about Braden's team. The practices are an hour and 1/2 of the same thing over and over and over. They yell at the boys when they're not paying attention (Hello.....! How long do you think you can keep kindergarten boys' attention doing the same thing over and over?? Certainly not 90 minutes!!) Rhett hates going to practice. Usually by the time it's over he says it was fun when his daddy asks him, but he hates going and he does better than most, but definately loses interest about 1/2 way through. From what I can tell, he's not really learning anything and he's certainly not learning a love of the game, which it what kindergarten football should be about. That and having fun, of course.
I've been rolling along without saying anything until Saturday's game. The attitude of the coaches is no better, actually worse, on game day than at practice. They get easily frustrated and do alot of tugging on jerseys (dragging them into position). They keep score in this league (which I'm also against for Kindergarten sports) and we lost. The coaches had nothing good to say after the game. They were TICKED. No "good game guys" or "yall had fun out there", no nothing. Just holding their hats in their hands, shaking and scratching their heads. Mind you...... those sweet little 5 and 6 year olds just played football for 2 HOURS in the MUD.
The worst part of the whole deal is that the coaches wife got into a verbal shouting match with the other team's coaches wife. GIVE ME A BREAK! Our coaches were saying that the other team was cheating and that's what started it. I didn't see anything, so I can't confirm the cheating. But, it really wouldn't surprise me. Either way though, this is ridiculous!
Rhett has said he doesn't want to play anymore.
We've been involved in organized athletics for 6 years now and we have never let our kids quit anything they've started no matter what. We intend to make that a rule in our household.
But, this just might be the exception. I get sad and mad and frustrated all at the same time when I think about this. I just don't know what to do.
Honestly, I'm downright embarrased to be affiliated with this team (and quite frankly, the whole league, with Jason's team being the exception). We don't intend to participate in this league again because of the way the other teams and coaches act, etc. Let's just say it's not a classy outfit. There are 4 more weeks of practices for a total of 8 and 4 more Saturday games.
Give me your advice, please.
If you've ever tried to leave me a comment before and were unable to, I think I've fixed that problem. You don't have to be registered with google. Just select the Name/URL option and type your name in the box (you don't have to type anything in the URL box) and then follow thru with your comment.
I'd love to hear from you all.
Thanks for listening!
2 comments:
never thought I would let Kyler quit either. Then, his coach's wife yelled and screamed at him during the tournament last year (because he wasn't moving fast enough. . .Hello? Have you met Kyler?) We did not attend the final game. I didn't want to confront her (chicken, I guess), and I wasn't about to make Kyler go back and sit in the dugout with her. He's taking this year off from baseball, and you know what? He loves to play baseball. He's asked me several nights if we can play when we get home from school. He plays with the kids at the babysitter's. He plays with grandpa. It's all been him this time around, and it's a whole new experience. He's already planning on playing next year. . .Now, I'm the one who's not sure I want him to play. Good luck! (And I agree with everything you said! Sports should be fun at that age. If it is, kids will want to learn and they will get better. . .Let's face it, very few of our kids are destined for the NFL, etc., so let's quit taking it this seriously and have fun.) Whew. Ok, I'm now off my soapbox!
I wouldn't stick to your initial desire of "having" to stay throughout the season, although I understand why you would have initially leaned this way. Little else is as important as your child being raised within a supportive atmosphere, so if Rhett is being adversely affected by the league atmosphere, I would remove him. (If he wanted this as well.) You could use this experience as a great "teaching" opportunity as well, taking time to discuss your decision with Rhett so he understands the situation and why you made the decision you made. I also would contact those who are in charge of facilitating the league and discuss your concerns. It would be even better if you had other parents who would be willing to address the league with their concerns as well, since those in powerful positions tend to pay more attention to groups of people rather than the lone soldier battling for change and reform. Hope all goes well!
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