Soccer Camp

My eldest who is soon to be a "gulp" teenager, is (in this unbiased Mom's humble opinion - heh) a mighty good soccer player.  His position is goalie and boy does he know how to play this position.  We have been told that he has a natural ability to read the field and block those shots! 

It is a position that every Mom hates!  There is nothing more nervewracking than watching your child stand there as all the other players on the field desperately try to slam the ball as hard as they can into the goal and subsiquently at - your - child!  Then, if your sweet child happens to miss the block and let the shot in...

My hubby has already stated that if our kids play sports in highschool and college, his seat will be no where near this Momma Bear's seat!!!  Hehe!

Christian recieved a very special gift this summer.  He was given a week at a very well respected soccer camp.  It was a residential/commuter camp and it was a goalie camp!  He knew it would be a challenge.  We are talking 8:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. every day in 100 degree heat!  Yikes!  He wasn't staying the week, just commuting everyday, but for some reason, on his first day, I felt like I was sending him off to college and I didn't like it,

 Not one bit!

He looked so grown up.

 Kind of like a teenager!  sniff sniff!!

 He desperately did not want his picture taken

  

 and I got a lot of "Aw Mom's" from him that day.

Kind of like a, um, teenager, defintiely not like my adorable little boy who used to jump in front of the camera, any camera and beg to see the picture or video before it was even taken!!  He is way too cool for that now!

Hubby has always dreaded my empty nest syndrome and I have to agree, it is gonna be bad ya'll - way bad!  I had always hoped that once they were big stinky teenagers, (instead of cute little toddlers who think mommie can do no wrong) that I would be holding the door for them and turning their rooms into my own personal "mom cave" before they made it out of the neighborhood!

However, watching my own child turn into one of those stinky teenagers, I have to say that my first instinct was right - my empty nest - bad - way bad!!!   I mean, come on, I had a hard time sending him to a week long soccer camp!  When he goes off to college I think I might be the first ever 911 empty nest emergency call!!!  Course the only way that would help is if the paramedics were cute and cuddly toddlers!!

By the end of the week, Christian was exhausted with several new scrapes and bruises but he was proud of himself and felt as if he had accomplished something!  Me too!!  I was able to make it through the week, resisting the urge to load all the other kids up and drive out there - just to watch for a little while, you know, for only about 12 hours or so - every day!  Hey, it would have saved on gas money!!!  Hehe!!

For now, I think I will just keep appreciating any time that my almost 13 year old wants to spend with me and storing that up for when he doesn't. 

Today he left for his grandparents to spend a few days but this morning, he asked to walk the dogs with me and I treasured every single second of that walk (heat and all) and I stored it up.

I know the teenage years will be a bit rocky at times but I also know that I won't be holding the door open for them when they go and I won't be turning their rooms into my "mom cave." 

Well, maybe not for a little while anyway!!  LOL!