Do or Do Not Do. There is No Try

I was really proud of Alex's accomplishments in Super Soccer Stars today. Normally, he doesn't follow instruction as well as the other kids do, because he's the youngest in his class this session. (For 4-5 year olds, but he joined it two months ago). There's a developmentally challenged boy in his class named Ian. He was allowed to take the class at what appears to be an older age, but he's really a good sport and kind to the smaller kids. That boy's brother, Luc, is also in the class and I think he's also over 5 (of standard development level). He's a good kid who watches out for his brother and he tries to be gentle with the younger kids. These two are noticeably bigger than the other children. Alex is almost the smallest in his class.

I should also mention that Luc and Ian are French, so they have likely seen a lot of soccer and played a lot of soccer. Luc most certainly seems it. He's the best player there. (I believe he's in the class because it seems that Ian isn't bilingual.)

Today during a team game, Luc was on the team opposite Alex's. Alex isn't a very good player at all because he doesn't follow the coach's instructions. He was supposed to be the goalie, but never stayed there, preferring to play offense. Luc was the goalie for the other team. He was really good. Nothing was getting by him. Alex tried to get goals, but Luc successfully blocked them all and tossed Alex's ball back on the field. Alex had to go chase it and do small kicks back toward the goal, only to lose to Luc again.

At one point, Alex ran up to me with tears in his eyes. "I can't get a goal. He won't let me!" I explained to Alex that Luc was doing what he was supposed to do and that Alex had to keep trying to get the goal. Alex objected through tears that Luc wasn't playing right. (He was. I was watching them.) I encouraged Alex to keep practicing to get a goal and someday he'd be a really good player too.

Alex kept trying and....got one! Against Luc! I told Alex that I was really proud of him for trying so hard against a bigger boy who was a so much more experienced player. I told him he should proud of himself for having kept at it like he did because what he did was really hard.

It took him a few hours to get over the frustration in it all, but by the time Dan came home, Alex was able to boast of the whole story. "And he was a really good goalie, Dad and I still got the goal! I did it because I kept trying!"