Liveblogging from Leo's soccer practice
(not really -- it's from yesterday)...but I retranscribe frantically scribbled notes:
I don't know if I can keep my mouth shut around the anxious Asian mom in a track suit and one of those duckbilled white visors that I find particularly unfetching -- if that is a word. She literally re-arranged her son's limbs while they were doing stretches at the beginning of class. I noticed him going limp like an Udon noodle. Why bother using the central nervous system when mom is doing all the work?
I have to walk up to her and say something. I think she is coaching him about his kicks during their drills and just in case he should get away from her while he is standing on line waiting for his turn at the ball, she keeps one palm firmly planted on top of his Beatles moptop. If she's Chinese, I'm going to go up to her and say something in Chinese like, "Are you torturing him or do you want him to enjoy learning how to play soccer?" Or "It's not the World Cup you know." Or simply, "Can you relax? They're five years old."
My heart was pounding as I got up and started towards her as she is muttering to her son about his latest kick and suddenly I hear that she is speaking Korean. Thank the Lord! I don't have to make an intervention today. My burden is lifted. She wouldn't listen to me if I spoke to her in English.
Gatorade break: I get a cup for Leo. Anxious Korean mom starts to lay cups out for all the children. She is just nervous. She is obviously not comfortable with anything that is going on here. She loves her kid. I suddenly feel less outraged by her behavior. Leo turns around to the Korean boy and flashes him a smile for no reason whatsoever. Yes, I remember how that was -- when my parents thought that every godd@@# thing that I did in public in front of people was an occasion for me either to shine and allow my parents to feel as if their toehold on middle class American existence was little more secure, or I could blow it and bring shame and deepest humiliation upon my entire family.
I don't know if I can keep my mouth shut around the anxious Asian mom in a track suit and one of those duckbilled white visors that I find particularly unfetching -- if that is a word. She literally re-arranged her son's limbs while they were doing stretches at the beginning of class. I noticed him going limp like an Udon noodle. Why bother using the central nervous system when mom is doing all the work?
I have to walk up to her and say something. I think she is coaching him about his kicks during their drills and just in case he should get away from her while he is standing on line waiting for his turn at the ball, she keeps one palm firmly planted on top of his Beatles moptop. If she's Chinese, I'm going to go up to her and say something in Chinese like, "Are you torturing him or do you want him to enjoy learning how to play soccer?" Or "It's not the World Cup you know." Or simply, "Can you relax? They're five years old."
My heart was pounding as I got up and started towards her as she is muttering to her son about his latest kick and suddenly I hear that she is speaking Korean. Thank the Lord! I don't have to make an intervention today. My burden is lifted. She wouldn't listen to me if I spoke to her in English.
Gatorade break: I get a cup for Leo. Anxious Korean mom starts to lay cups out for all the children. She is just nervous. She is obviously not comfortable with anything that is going on here. She loves her kid. I suddenly feel less outraged by her behavior. Leo turns around to the Korean boy and flashes him a smile for no reason whatsoever. Yes, I remember how that was -- when my parents thought that every godd@@# thing that I did in public in front of people was an occasion for me either to shine and allow my parents to feel as if their toehold on middle class American existence was little more secure, or I could blow it and bring shame and deepest humiliation upon my entire family.
2 Comments:
>>Why bother using the central nervous >>system when mom is doing all the >>work?
She does seem to be
the
central
nervous
system ...
yup
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