You’ve got a little Tiger Woods on your hands. . .

There are so many things wrong with this title. There are so many more things wrong with someone saying it out loud. There are even that many more things wrong with it when you’re a youth soccer coach saying it to one of your player’s moms.

First of all, I don’t want a little Tiger Woods on or near my hands. Gross.

Second of all, comparing my son to Tiger Woods. . . not a compliment. Maybe – maybe - if you were talking to a boy’s father, that might have flown. Not with mama.

The more important point here, though, is that a soccer coach thinks my five year old kid is good. Like really good. He said he moves like an athlete, he strategizes, he knows how to negotiate the ball. He said all of those things! About my kid! He moves like an athlete. !!!

I never thought I’d be so proud of athletic ability. I thought we’d go to games and we’d enjoy it, but we’d be the NORMAL family who got that it’s all for fun and it doesn’t matter if you win or lose or if your kid sucks, as long as they’re all having a good time. And, then MY kid became the rock star (and I’m not just saying that because he’s my kid, I’m saying it because out of 28 total goals scored in his games, 20+ of them were his – and all of his were in the RIGHT GOAL).

I fully expected this season to be the one where he got his soccer legs. Where he maybe grasped the concept of not using his hands to play. I thought he’d probably be the social butterfly and make new friends and that would be more important to him than the game, and that would be fine.

Ha! HA HA! Nope. That kid went out there, every week, with his game face on. He wasn’t screwing around. He was focused and really, really good. After a couple of games, we talked about sportsmanship and how to help the other kids understand the game. . . and he did it. He high fived and applauded other kids when they did a good job – even if they were on the other team! He cheered for his teammates from the sidelines and he played fair, not at all acting like the cocky star athlete who knows he’s the only one who can save the game.

I am so proud of him, I just can’t stand it.

He wasn’t the biggest kid on the team. He wasn’t the kid with two parents who coach high school sports. He wasn’t even the kid who showed up 15 minutes early every Saturday to practice. And, he was still badass. More badass than all of the above mentioned kids. And, for no apparent reason. His soccer education came from a 5 minute prep session with his 8 year old sister on the way to his first game. That’s it.

When his coach approached me after his last game and told me I need to get him into a more challenging program. . . that he needs to play with older kids and have actual skills training. . . that he sees amazing things coming for MY KID, I acted super cool, like I knew that all along and we were just playing in this little league to give him a break from all of the “serious” training he does year-round (*blink*). And, then I walked away and tried really hard not to cry.

As I delve further into the story about their adoption and all of the struggles this little guy has faced, you’ll have a better understanding of why this is such a big freaking deal. I mean, it’s awesome without their history attached. But, when I explain his history to you and point you back to this story and let you watch him continue down this path, you’ll probably cry, too.

Five years ago, when this one was just a tiny baby, you could feel the anger radiate from his tiny body. Four years ago, when he was moved into a stable environment, his limitations became painfully obvious. Two and a half years ago, all I could see in him was rage and defiance. . . and I didn’t know how we were all going to survive it. Today might not seem like much to you, but to us, where we are is a huge victory. And, if this is how far we’ve come, just imagine how far we’ll go!

And, for the record, we’ll get there without Tiger Woods ever touching any part of my body. Ever.

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