Day 38 The Mighty Cubs

Eva and her cousin Benjamin are in a hockey team. They are the Mighty Cubs. They are 7. Eva has never played a game of hockey in her life. 

My impression of her on a hockey pitch is a little ferret motoring around, stick held high in the air, her mind in a dimension that makes no reference to hockey. When I ask her about her contribution to the game she says, 'I just spend so much time thinking about what to do next. That I don't do anything.' I would concur. 

The tournament that these small people are playing in has different age categories. Unfortunately the first category includes 7, 8 and 9 year olds. The difference between a 7 and a 9 year old on a hockey pitch is quite startling.

I wasn't able to watch the Mighty Cubs in action last week but based on the very sweet and encouraging messages on the parents group afterwards that they 'tried their best' I suspect that our little team won character points, and not actual points. 

Yesterday, on the side of the netball court while an older sibling played a netball tournament, Benj and Eva did some strategic scheming. The aim is simple - score one goal. 

Bless. How do 7 year olds already know how to set realistic goals? They're not out to win the tournament. They're not even out to win a game. They are out to prove to themselves that progress starts one step at a time, one goal at a time. 

How often do we, their parents, want to win it all? How often do we set those expectations for our children? I have been humbled by two little people who know that, for now, they might not win a game, but they can win at resilience and hope. And in the end isn't that what all of us are playing for? 


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