Thursday, September 18, 2014

Why I Get Involved

This email helped remind me why I get involved with my kids' community:

It was great meeting you briefly last week,and thanks for the update.

I have to tell you that (my daughter) did NOT want to go to soccer last week.  She had never played, and was nervous because she didn't know the rules.  The specific direction you gave her in the few minutes before the game, as well as the on-field instruction put her at ease.  I was strictly baseball/basketball growing up, so I am of no help!

After the game she told me how much she liked it...now your email recognizing her may drive her to be the next Mia Hamm!

At the end of the day we want her to have fun, build confidence and socialize.  Please know how much I appreciate your time and energy to make that happen.

Those are the comments that remind me that I do have a talent. Working with others. Keeping my house clean is not one of them. Creating and maintaining an efficient schedule is not one of them. Listening to others, providing constructive feedback, and providing direction are.

A little background: I am coaching JD's soccer team. While I have never coached soccer and haven't played since I was 7 or 8, working with kids comes naturally to me. I am a decent amateur athlete and enjoy learning the fundamentals of various sports. Having coached youth hockey, I was easily able to come up with a handful of drills that work for both sports, then see what works and doesn't work on a soccer field and adjust. I digress.

What I wanted to get to was how proud I was of JD last game. Four years ago, we tried soccer. Perhaps it was his maturity, perhaps it was emerging symptoms of Autism. Whatever it was, the last time was a disaster. Wife and I didn't know if he would ever be able to participate in team sports. While that wouldn't have been a life tragedy, it would have been another example from the poem, Welcome to Holland, by Perl Kingsley. 

So JD has shown greater capacity to participate in team sports over the last year from observing him on the playground. Participating in gym class and easing into sports with baseball and park district programs have also helped. 

Last Saturday, it all came together. JD was in the play. He was watching the play. He got the ball and was trying to make intelligent passes. He had two shots on goal. It was a successful day.

I give a lot of my time, my family's time, and time with my family to our community, whether it's being President of our school's "Friends of" organization, volunteering at school, or coaching. What is emerging is that it's something that I'm good at. There is value in my presence. I am making a difference in the lives my my family and other families. And that makes me feel great.