On soccer momming

Today was Parents Play Day at Lil’ Kickers soccer, and in the midst of bounding the miniature AstroTurf field with a mass of bumbling five-year-old boys, I was struck by the generosity in play of my fellow parental teammates. We were supposed to defeat the kid’s team, or at the very least, pretend. But most of the parents were gently nudging the ball before the rambunctious group to provide easy scoring.

Just, no. No. What is the worth of winning if it demands little effort? At least encourage children to try. Challenge them, please. Let’s unite and collectively resist raising a generation of pussies.