All I ever wanted was for her to not be afraid.

That's what another soccer mom said this morning. It was the 3rd soccer game of Amanda's weekend tournament.

My belly is in knots. Holy cow, the girls played long and hard and I can see improvement. But you know what, here's the thing. I can't believe how many opportunities there are for offense, and yet the girls tend to position themselves for defense instead. I can see it as clear as day from the sidelines. And I'm not even a sportsy person. I am not competitive. But it goes way beyond competition.

Somewhere in that hour of girls at play, for us moms and dads on the sidelines the soccer game became much more than a sport. It was our daughter's lives at stake. It was about all the times we hoped for them to take charge, to make good choices, and to *not* let others play on them. No one. It was about them recognizing the chances before them and going after it with vigor.

I've watched Sam's team and it's different. Same age group, but boys. They are aggressive. They don't wait for the ball to come to them. Why is that? Do you think it's true that girls are naturally hard wired to wait, to be nice, to be subordinate, to not hurt other's feelings, etc. etc. Why can't we train girls to take charge and just go after that dog gone ball?

This is why we parents on the sideline cheer every time a daughter steels the ball. Every time she blocks the ball. Every time she inserts her cleat into a clump of feet and surgically removes the ball. Every time she redirects the ball. Every time she smashes the ball towards the goal. This is why.

All we want is for our daughters to not be afraid.

Happy Father's Day.

With love, T