What are you teaching them?

Tonight my heart broke a little for my eldest son. At the same time it surged with pride! 


Let me give you a little background. 


Both of my sons (12 & 10) play in an indoor soccer team and I am the team manager. Tonight we played a soccer team which are highly skilled and have beaten us every time. I respect the skill of the players and the team in general and I am proud that we have slowly improved over the course of the year. 


The game tonight was tough and fast paced and my team played very well putting lots of pressure on the other team, it certainly wasn't a pushover like it had been in the past. Tonight Vaughan kicked the ball so hard it hit an opposing team member and knocked him to the ground. The ball bounced back at Vaughan and instead of taking advantage of the gap he stopped it with his foot, picked it up and checked the other player was OK, helping him to his feet. Asking him if he was OK. 

The kid, once on his feet, snatched the ball off Vaughan and said "hand ball" and played it. The parents of that team laughed and clapped. 

Vaughan looked at me confused. I said in a very loud voice (so the other parents could hear) to him that I was so proud of him for demonstrating good sportsmanship. 

I am totally disgusted; that parents place emphasis on teaching their children to win at all costs and screw anyone who gets in their way. I find it pitiful that those parents are that pathetic that they need to live vicariously through their children. I am totally disgusted that Vaughan's magnanimous gesture was taken advantage of in a nasty and selfish way. My heart broke a little for him tonight. 

However, I am, more than anything, incredibly proud of my son! I get a lump in my throat thinking about how awesome a man he is growing into. I am proud that I have helped raise this incredible, lovely, beautiful soul. My team may not have won tonight but I know where it matters my team were the champions tonight. That win they can take with them for the rest of their lives!