Marcus kicked another four goals on Saturday. He presents a bit of a problem for the coach, who is of course trying to give everyone a chance. A few times as Marcus was charging towards goal, Tony asked to him to pass. Marcus duly looked around but there was no-one to pass to. He hasn't started feeling guilty when he scores yet but it seems like it might be the natural conclusion. He has scored 24 goals in 6 games (the rest of his team scored about 12 between them). He is very competitive, loves to score and hates it when the other team does. He is one of the bigger Under 6s, and for the first time on Saturday had a referee tell him repeatedly not to play so hard. I understand her point of view, and I understand Tony's as well, but I can't help thinking the game will make a lot more sense to Marcus when he is encouraged to tackle vigorously but fairly and kick as many goals as he possibly can.
Being a soccer dad/mum is a fraught business. I am well aware that we are lucky to have too many goals as our main soccer problem. On Saturday I listened to the howls and quiet gibberings of other parents (all dads actually) as their boys daydreamed, sat down in piles of autumn leaves or kicked the ball the wrong way. I know that if Marcus was doing any of those things I would be no better than they.
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