It's not whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game

One of Adam's most endearing qualities is that he is one of the friendliest little guys you will ever meet.  He makes friends at school.  He makes friends in the parking lot at Walmart.  He makes friends wherever he goes.  No matter where he is, he waves at people, says hello, and introduces himself.  He has even been known to give hugs to checkout ladies at the dollar store.  He is just plain social.  I didn't even think about this when I signed him up for soccer.

Adam has always had a love for any kind of sport involving a ball.  So, naturally, I half expected him to be the star of the soccer team.  I envisioned him leading his team to victory...kicking the ball down the field and scoring goal after goal.  That's not what I got.  What I did get was a little boy who was just excited to put on his uniform and hang out with other kids.

Game after game I have sat on the sidelines and watched Adam run around the field with the other kids, and I have wondered why he wasn't being aggressive with the ball.  Every time he did kick it, he would stop and wave at me, giving someone else the opportunity to swoop in and steal it.  I finally realized that he wasn't in it to win.  He just wants to have fun with other kids.  His favorite part of the night, I think, is doing the team cheer and congratulating the other team after the game.  I see him out there giving high 5s, fist bumps, and hand shakes.  Then he runs to the sidelines where snacks are handed out.  :)

Last night I told him before the game that if he scored a goal, I would give him 30 minutes of bonus time on the Wii.  What I got in return was somewhat of a transformation.  That kid played the entire game.  He was all over the field, kicking the ball and almost scored a goal.  At one point, he kicked it down near the goal and one of his teammates was able to score.  The opposing goalie raised up his fists in frustration.  Adam, being the social boy he is, assumed the boy was cheering for them and ran up and gave him a high 5.

Well, Adam's team still ended up losing, but Adam didn't know any different.  He had fun, played hard, and made friends with every single player on the opposing team.  After it was over, Adam gave out more high 5s than ever before.  Then he ran to the sidelines to get snacks from his coach.  The other team liked him so much they gave him some of their snacks too.  I guess it's not whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game.