I can’t wait to be a Soccer Mom.

I love to play soccer. I used to play as a forward in high school (Lady Panthers, #7!), but I didn’t think I was good enough to play for college. I never even tried out for the team and I regret that. These days, I have fun kicking the ball around with my students. They think it’s great to play with their teacher, and I feel young again.

I also love to watch soccer. When I studied abroad in Portugal a number of years back, the Euro Cup was being hosted there. It was incredible to feel the frustration, joy, disappointment, and excitement of the entire nation every time the Portuguese national team played. In my opinion, that was a golden team. Figo, Sabrosa, Postiga, Gomes, Deco, a young and talented Cristiano Ronaldo…When they’d win, it seemed as if the whole country came out to celebrate in the streets. There was one gigantic and crazy victory party after another and I had the time of my life! (What happened in Portugal, stayed in Portugal, so I’m not sharing any details.)  Unfortunately, Portugal lost the tournament, but the entire experience was one that I will never forget.

I am going to enjoy this entire month of World Cup soccer immensely! I am eagerly waiting for my two teams of interest to begin their games in just a few days: the U.S. and Portugal. Coincidentally, they both belong to the same group this year, Group G. Should make for an interesting tournament, don’t ya think?! Força Portugal and Go U.S.A!

My daughter is almost 3-years-old, so it might be a few more years until she has the stamina to play the sport. Surprisingly though, she’s already fairly coordinated with her feet. Nevertheless, I will not force her to play soccer if she doesn’t want to play it. If the photos below are any indication of Emily’s possible talents and interests, I don’t think I’ll have any worries about one day being a Soccer Mom. 🙂