Rewind a few weeks ago to opening day of Bess' Soccer Season. Oh this little girl was as excited as excited could be! Decked in her soccer gear, shorts and ponytail- this little almost 4 year old was R.E.A.D.Y.! Bring on the soccer field!
Oh but once the rubber met the road, this little girl M.E.L.T.E.D.! Not just baby tears, crocodile tears were being shed and all the while, a stubborn little girl was begging and pleading to not play soccer!
But do you think we paid $75 dollars to watch from the sidelines. I think not. Oh, no, this child was playing soccer even if I had to drag her on the field and play it myself. (Which I did!)
Please note Bess (pink pants head to the camera- she would be talking to Kenny about not wanting to play!)
Thanks to Kenny and his kindness Bess and Taylor at least ventured from the white line!
Just in the knick of time, Dear Ol' Dad arrived to save the day! No more tears, of course, Dad saved the day!
And Wah-Lah- Soccer Star Bess arrives!
This was a 1 hour event that felt oh-so much longer! However, we survived, ready and looking forward to next week!
Now, Fast Forward to last Tuesday. Bessie Boo had been doing much better in soccer. A few tears each week had been shed but quickly they were dried up by some wonderful bribe I created to distract her with! It was working. But this particular week, oh this week, was special!
Bess threw her finest, more dramatic and dynamic performance this week!
To begin with, I have no pictures of this horrific night because even if I had dared to bring my camera, my hands and arms were literally tied up with Bess.
Bess' first refusal to play earned her a spot on the white line in the criss-cross apple sauce position. I was fine watching her watch her team on the field. But by golly, she wasn't going to stand with me- team spirit Bess!! But then, the little devil, spun her back to her team, crossed her arms at me and continued to WAIL and beg to not play soccer. Thinking that this was a really good drama episode of Soccer Fun, I was not falling for this nonsense! Oh, no, we came to play, we would play!
I bribed, I threatened, I called her daddy on the phone, I bribed some more...nothing was working. For the love - I even threatened to take away the all coveted Pinkalicious Birthday the child has been planning for months in her head! She didn't care! Now, I was just fed up and ill at the child. Why was this difficult, why was this dramatic and why was my 4 year old who begged to play soccer suddenly scared for her life on the field! I had no patience.
But then, the child pulled her best trick out of her hat. When I told Bess to stand up and walk , we were leaving because little girls who can't get on the field need to be at home in their beds, Bess did a grand trick. She did the Watch This I Can Go All Stiff Trick! I was pulling her up by her arm and she locked her legs up and refused for them to touch the ground. On top of it all, she screamed. This was not a simple scream- this was like I was slicing her fingers off one by one with a butter knife scream! WAY too dramatic and WAY not necessary!! And boy if my blood wasn't boiling now. I who have a overflowing cup of patience most of the time, found myself with not a single ounce of it!
So, in mortified fashion, I picked up my screaming yet stiff child, I grabbed her by the one kicking leg I could wrangle and headed to the bathroom for a serious come to Jesus meeting. Possibly thanks to divine intervention , we were unable to go in the restroom, we ended up behind it. It was there I told Bess we were going home, not to utter a word and be ready because I was very upset and disappointed with her behavior. I am pretty sure you could see fumes coming from my ear at this point!
We arrived to the car and all the while I was thinking- What can I take away from this child to make the consequence of her horrendous behavior sink in? I was floored that the Pinkalicious Party didn't make a dent in things. Then... I saw "the shoes". Bess had on her "fast shoes". All budding soccer stars need fast shoes and Bess had hers on. Quickly, thinking on my feet like a determined mom, I informed Bess she no longer needed "fast shoes" since she refused to play soccer! So off I yanked the shoes and headed home.
Still burned up by the incident, while trying to control my frustration towards my irrational and stubborn 4 year old, I told Bess that I would be giving her shoes to the Goodwill Girl. Oh the tears were flowing now. Begging, pleading, calling in her Daddy to try to convince me. All the while, Bubba is smirking in the background. This was my rodeo and he was just sitting in the stands watching!
Two Days Later: While the events of the dramatic soccer practice had passed, the discussions of the "fast shoes" and the Goodwill Girl had not! I used every discussion I could to remind Bess of her behavior and how disappointed in her I was.
Clearly she had heard enough because she shut me up quick. After I reminded her that she would be going to soccer the following week without her fast shoes- she looks at me and says "Thats okay Mom, I have my white Keds." Oooohhhh, so no big deal huh? Where was the grand point I was suppose to be proving to my 4 year old. She was suppose to care about this! She was suppose to be distraught!! But, not Bessie. Just as content as could be about her long-gone fast shoes!
Fast Forward to tonight! I had been preparing Bess all weekend long about how important practice would be this week! She needed to show her best behavior, not cry, kick the ball hard and hustle! You know- I gave the Give It All You Got Speech. After all this, I was reminded in an email it was actually the Celebration Session tonight- no practice ! Dang it!
So Good Ol' Dad headed to the Celebration Banquet just in case there were tears to be dealt with!
And yes, she wore her Keds to the Banquet! Because oh no, this momma had not given in!!
But despite all the drama and all the tears and extremely unnecessary screaming that took place last week, I was smiling from ear to ear as this little love pranced into my kitchen tonight!
All this love cared about was her "pedal"
Blue cupcake icing and all, this little girl was thrilled to be wearing a Soccer "Pedal" given just to her!
If Awards had been given, I am still sure she could have won Most Unnecessary Drama but in the end, she was proud of herself and I was proud of her too!
Sure she pitched a royal fit last week, but this week, she owed (and rocked) those Keds like it was her job! She never complained one time while getting dressed tonight. She was excited to go see her coach and wanted to play and show her Daddy she could kick a ball.
She is a mess. But this mess completely melts my heart!
Bess, your daddy and I love you so much! Drama and all! You have your own little personality but the most tender heart around. We love you even when you cause a scene!
Lots and Lots!
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