Calfgrit7 is in his fourth season of playing soccer. His age group doesn’t have tournaments or championships, or anything like that. They don’t even officially keep score during the games. (Although everyone knows the score — especially the kids.)

At the end of each season the kids get a little trophy. This is not a bad thing — a simple, little plastic trophy to congratulate for practicing and playing on a team for the first time. But really, such things shouldn’t be big and fancy. Save the big and fancy for real achievements, like winning a tournament or championship.

These are the first two trophies Calfgrit7 got for his first two seasons:

Nice, basic. Calfgrit7 was quite proud to receive them, and I think it gave him a tangible reward for going to all the practices and participating in all his team’s games.

But then, last season, he got this:

Really? This is a bit much. A lot much. Too much for just basic participation. This is not for any kind of competition or victory.

I can understand the coach’s thought and desire to give the kids something special, but this is just unnecessary. Compare them together:

These awards sit on Calfgrit7′s bookcase, and the scene is just hilarious. You’d think he was a master soccer player seeing that thing towering above everything else in the room. At least it’s still just a plastic thing, and not metal and heavy.

If he continues his interest in playing soccer, what will he think when he actually wins a league tournament or something, and that trophy isn’t as big or as impressive as the basic participation trophy he got at six years old? Or worse, what if he doesn’t win anything and doesn’t get a trophy at all? This is just setting the kids up for disappointment.

Come on coaches and parents. A little plastic thing for first participation is not a bad thing, but going over the top with a grand trophy for no real accomplishment is just not right.

Bullgrit

Yeah, this is a partial repost from November 2010. My oldest is now 11 years old, (as of Jan 4), so technically this gag is inaccurate, but it seems that so far, they both still think I’m pretty awesome. Or, at least, they think all my toys are pretty awesome. We tried letting the boys do their homework in my office, at the game table, but they say there are too many distractions in the room.

This “motivational poster” was the inspiration for this t-shirt design:

Bullgrit

By Wifegrit

When I think back to B.K., (before kids), I remember thinking “I will never do that!” as I watched parents, for example, drag their kid out of a store. Then I became a parent. And I now understand and have sympathy for many of those ridiculous situations. In other words, I have been there and I have done that.

As a parent, the situations you can find yourself in, and how you react is sometimes unpredictable. And hilarious…

Yes, I have left a cart of groceries in the store because of an explosive diaper.

Yes, I have laid my baby to sleep in his crib, jumped to the floor and crawled out of the room, and crawled back in to check on him. (This was with my first child.)

Yes, I have crawled out a window, onto the roof of our house to retrieve a “blown away” Pokémon card.

Yes, I have worn a robe in the car to drop off my child at school so we wouldn’t be late.

Yes, we have driven around the beltline for 2 hours to put a child to sleep.

Yes, I have eaten hidden chocolate in my closet. (“What’s that in your mouth mom?” “Ah, oh..nothing.”)

Yes, I have been in the bathroom as my child dialed 911. “Look what we learned in school today!”

Now it is your turn. I would love for you to share your funny stories.

Here are the Christmas lists our boys wrote out for Santa this year:

Calfgrit7, (our first-grader):

Calfgrit10, (our fifth-grader):

All of us in the Grit family hope Santa brings you all you wish for this year. Have a Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year!

Bullgrit
Wifegrit
Calfgrit10
Calfgrit7