My kids are into football, some may call it soccer, well only Americans and Japanese, for the rest of us it's football. It is good to see your kids taking part in sports and in Japan, when kids take part in sports, it is on a very serious level.
When I was a kid around their age, I joined the football team because my good friend then was in it. Needless to say I quit after a few months as I wasn't that interested in the sport. The older of my twins did the same thing, he quit soon after he started stating he didn't like the attitude of the coach.
It became an awkward situation for him in many ways as his younger twin ( by a minute) continued and began to level up very fast. Meanwhile, the twin who quit was usually stuck at home with his younger brother ( 4 years old) and myself. Another awkward situation was that he is 8 and his younger brother is 4, so the things they wanted to do were completely different. Simple things like going to the park weren't cutting it for the 8 year old. And while there at the park, I had to pay more attention to the younger kid. At times he would stay home and be on his tablet for stretches at a time, it was sad but there wasn't much else he wanted to do.
6 months of seeing the soccer playing twin go to movies with his team ( to which he tagged along) , the summer BBQ ( our family went ) and the soon to be weekend trip, he realized he had been missing out and decided to join the team again. Before that he would go to watch his brother play on occasions and you could see he enjoyed the vibe of being around kids his age, in a team, working together for a purpose.
The other awkward situation, his twin brother is now way more skill-full than him and it was like he had started all over. It's a lot of pressure I can imagine, but he has been doing his best. In the last two months since he has been back, he has improved tremendously.
It would be great if my twins become professional soccer players as it isn't often you see a professional pair like that. I personally though, would have preferred if they chose to do basketball as that is the sport I did and know best. I actually don't like soccer so it is hard for me to even try to coach them. But I guess that is a mind set I have to change.
Luckily when we go to the park, there is usually a familiar face from the soccer team, a friend that we know or even a random stranger that just kinda magically appears and starts playing/ coaching them.
Last week we had a dad and his kid from the team appear at the park, followed by a friend of mine who played soccer and then some Indian's who just moved to Japan join in on the football fun. Football is indeed the world sport that brings the people together.
I'll do my best form now on to support their football activities. When I was growing up I did not take any sports that seriously, it was more for fun than anything else. Basketball, my sport of choice is what I played with the youths around the way almost everyday in summer and beyond. I eventually joined the high school team but I definitely preferred the freedom of street basketball 3 on 3.
The thing with sports is that it can be expensive, especially soccer. The jerseys, spikes and training shoes, trips, the monthly fees and hidden costs like making lunch boxes all add up. Many have been warning me about it and telling me it only gets worse. I try to block it out as that is not what I want to hear. And in my case, it is not just one child but twins doing the sport so the expenses are doubled.
I have been thinking of starting back the twins YouTube channel as it would make for good content and would document the journey. We were on a role with the channel when they were younger but then shyness and ego kicked in. But never too late to get it going again. I wonder what the other parents would think? Who cares…..
All I know is I am not gonna let the worry of money get to me in providing my kids with the experiences they desire. If it is one thing that I have learnt in life is that JAH provides. He always has. Just think of a time when you wondered how that bill was gonna get paid, how you were gonna pay off that loan, how you were gonna buy that car or house .....whatever it is. Just remember how a way was always made.
I'd like to end this post by thanking God for showing us the way and giving us guidance and protection along the journey, SELAH.
Thank you for reading and stay blessed.