Dude was returning to the field after a very successful first foray into soccer. In his first game he was constantly involved in nearly all of the plays. Now it is my understanding that there are positions in soccer, but in this 4 on 4 kiddie version the players seem to just follow the ball at will. Several players, whether due to exhaustion or apathy would hang back and not help move the ball down field. Dude, however, was always out there.
He did have to come out once after being nailed in the face and getting his glasses hopelessly bent out of shape. He returned at the first opportunity. So with high expectations we went to his next match. From the beginning I could tell that this would be different. The players for Our Lady of Pillar were, like the Chinese gymnast, of questionable age. One particular red-headed child stood over the rest of the players like Robert Wadlow did his father.
If they were casting Ransom of Red Chief today I would immediately send pictures of this child to the casting director. Through some miracle the coach had managed to lift the bully from A Christmas Story and put him in an Our Lady of Pillar uniform. Accompanied by a diminutive Village of the Damned blond kid he held sway over the field.
I must say that Dude is a congenial child. He plays soccer with a sense of charity that forces him to allow the other team to kick the ball when he thinks they should have a turn. He was new to this level of aggression. About 5 minutes into the game he became upset and took himself out of the game. Tears flowed, and the only cause that I could determine was that he felt frustrated in his attempt to kick the ball. I consoled him, and told him to go out there and kick the ball harder.
These tears apparently prompted the bully and his sidekick to verbally taunt Dude. He came out again. I again pushed him to play even harder. He returned to the game. At one point I heard the other team comment on how many "little kids" there were on our team so it wasn't just Evan that they were messing with. However, after the pint size demon shoved Evan to the ground it became obvious that he was the focus of the assault.
The shove did cause a momentary cessation of play while coaches tried to determine the root cause. It was intuitively obvious to any casual observer that the little punk was deranged. Dude came out again but for a much shorter period. Physical pain does not bother him as much. Upon his return his face cultivated an intimate relationship with the ball. No problem. A minute later he scored his first goal. Well actually half a goal. Maybe even a quarter of a goal. All I know is that he was one of several feet touching the ball as it crossed the goal line.
So the dilemma is, should I have told him to go out and kick some kindergarten ass? Or do I teach him to resist the dark side of the force? In the end I chose the latter. Have I doomed him to a life of pacifism and taunting?
I know that the best way to handle the situation is to go out and play hard, but it would have felt good to take those kids' parents and instruct them on the finer points of sportsmanship with the
finer points of my fist. Though considering my record in the ring this alternative most likely would have resulted in a trip to the ER and my expulsion from the parish for embarrassing Boxing Jesus. For the uninitiated "Boxing Jesus" is a cousin of "Soccer Jesus."The opposing coach brought Pushy McShovinstien over to apologize after the game. I had to tell Dude to say, "That's okay." He said it and immediately fell on the ground saying it over and over in a funny voice. I guess I should learn from Dude and do the same thing when I am confronted with the same situation again.
Though until I fully learn the lesson I hope that Our Lady of Pillar will look over anyone that messes with my kid.
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