Maybe, just maybe, I did give birth to my daughter. I try to keep my competitiveness in check when it comes to my children. And I also try to keep in mind that I did not play organized ball of any kind until technically sixth grade, so the fact she's been playing soccer for the past two and a half years is more than I ever did at her age. I just played football, soccer, tennis and basketball with kids in the neighborhood, but it still made me pretty tough because those kids were all guys and usually older than me.

Anyway, I usually have to remind myself that both of my oldest children are still very young and will (hopefully) develop that aggressive, competitive spirit when it comes to organized sports -- IF they choose to play. Up to this point, neither child has been one to hog the ball or score the points and that's OK. I just want them to have fun and contribute to the team.

However, tonight during Anna's indoor soccer match, that girl did an awesome job as defender. She ran hard (even though she doesn't like to run) and didn't act scared (even though the acoustics can be intimidating). Her team still got beat pretty soundly and she got nailed in the stomach with the ball, but after sitting out briefly, she got back out there and played hard. I was very proud of her.

Our girls made some good progress tonight. Spring soccer begins soon, and we will meet many of the girls on the opposing team again. I like our chances outside.