football? no thanks.

it's been awhile since i've written here and a lot has happened over the last month...eli started playing flag football and boy has it been an experience. let's just say his coaches seem to think they're coaching the next superbowl team rather than a bunch of 5-6 year olds that don't have a clue. it's amazing to me that grown men who volunteer to coach little boys can have such high expectations for a flag football team. they're out there yelling at the kids to block left, block right, slot left, v back, etc. when these kids need simple instructions of what exactly they're supposed to do. football is overwhelming for anyone to understand, and a 5 year old does not have the ability to learn, remember, then carry out specific positions and plays. i have actually been biting my tongue not to call the head of the football league and complain about these coaches, but i feel like since they are volunteers, they deserve a little slack. when we got the papers the first night of practice it clearly stated that this league was about having "fun" and learning the basics of football. "fun" is definitely NOT the priority of these coaches. unfortunately the first experience your child has with a sport sort of sets the tone for how they view that sport from then on and i do believe that they have essentially ruined football for eli. last night i took him to his game and as soon as he saw his coaches he started crying. not a cry baby cry, but a genuine, crocodile tear cry and he said, "mom, i don't wanna play". after a long discussion, he basically said he's not having fun, the coaches are loud and yell a lot and he just doesn't want to play. jerry and i have always said that our kids will finish what they start, but after calling jerry (he had to work so he wasn't at the game), we decided that this was the exception. eli really did try...he went to multiple practices where it was 90 degrees and they practiced for an hour or more without even getting a water break. he got pushed around into his positions and yelled at a few times for supposedly not paying attention. he gave it a shot and he truly was not having fun. at 5 years old, i give him credit for trying and i don't call him a quitter for giving up before it was over. i wasn't enjoying watching the boys get treated that way and like i said, i'm so tempted to call someone and complain. i'm sad for eli that this experience was not pleasant for him and i almost feel guilty for suggesting he try football instead of play soccer like he wanted to. i guess you just don't know until you try. we'll know better the next time i guess. some days i wish sports weren't even offered at such a young age. we've had such great coaches though in soccer and baseball that i guess i just took them for granted. they really do make or break your season, so to speak. so to all the good coaches that remember they're just kids...thank you! and to all the bad coaches that demand way too much from these little boys...quit being jerks and save it for players that are getting paid to listen to your crap.