Following Through

Well I mentioned after Caleb's first soccer game this year that Mom and Dad were pretty disappointed at his behavior during it. We have a good talk about it and the next week went and once again the behavior was still there. He was diving on the ground, rolling around intentionally running into people and knocking them down. So we had talk #2.
With the holiday weekend, he got a week off of soccer and we thought this would be a good thing. I took him to the 3rd game yesterday. The babies had fallen asleep in the car so I stayed in the car with them to let them sleep while they warmed up and got ready and there it was again. Every time the did their stretches or tried to run the field, he would intentionally throw himself on the ground. Then I saw him pushing another player. We have no idea where it comes from. He doesn't normally act like this, or at least didn't in baseball or at school. Between warm ups and the game I called him over to talk again and I told him several times and made sure he understood that he wasn't going to play any more if this was how he was going to behave. It's not only just inappropriate and embarrassing but it's also not safe for the other kids to have him diving on the ground and running around and into them like a wild child.
The game came and sure enough, not a word I said sank in. So I told him on the way home that I was glad he had fun because that would be his last game :(. He cried of course. And then tried to convince me otherwise. He even built a tower out of legos when he got home and told me that he loved soccer for as tall as the tower was. It broke my heart a little.
Mike and I talked it over and are agreed on this decision. But I think it's going to be one of the harder ones for me to follow through with. I need to be strong and I know it. But he melts my heart now every time he tells me how much he loves it or asks if we'll let him try again next year.
To add a little comic relief to this bummer blog post. On the way home in the midst of him crying and whining about not playing anymore, he also got serious and told me "Mom, sometimes when you speak to me, my brain just turns off." It was hard not to laugh and stay firm on my soccer stance at the same time. Man I love that kid, even when we have such rotten days.