Celebrating Mother's Day on the Soccer Fields

The chubby little face, that infectious laugh... my daughter, for the first time, started trying to learn how to kick a ball. She just turned 17 months. So I went out and did what any mother should do - celebrate with the children.

The soccer fields here in Marietta, GA, provide hundreds of families the opportunity to beat the stress through running, kicking, and catching. Soccer is also a great way to build sportsmanship and develop reactionary skills necessary for survival in today's world. It is also listed as one of the healthy ways to get extra exercise.

Mother's Day is special to me - I work so hard all year and rarely get mother-daughter bonding time. I've noticed that exercise is a great thing for stressed-out people. So I saw this day as an opportunity to put the tears, stress, and worry of the week behind me and focus on what really counts. The hubby and I brought our own small ball just for our daughter and we practiced kicking it around her so that she would learn to be fast enough to catch it. She still prefers her hands, so we occasionally kicked the ball right at her feet. She laughed as she ran after the ball and then as she ran after us as we kicked the ball. Our daughter is still so small that we have to be careful with playing, but there really is nothing like watching children run for the first time. I think that she really enjoyed playing soccer.

Honestly, it felt great running out on the field with my 17-month-old daughter for the first time. I just might make this a weekly 'habit.' For Marietta citizens, the Cobb Futbol Club may be right for you. Really, I've discovered that the park right near/off the East-West Connector is the best for soccer - there are more than 7 or 8 playing fields. Also - if you show up either early in the day or late at night, parking is not a problem. The families and facilities are nice and the fields are green. Almost all county parks have a soccer field.

Even if you cannot play, watching the games are fun, too. Our daughter and I watched one game for several minutes. This is definitely an entertaining game, but the best benefits and comes from playing on a team. We may just end up having to get our little daughter her first set of cleats soon.

Mother's Day should be a happy, healthy, and enjoyable day; Soccer is a great alternative to a fattening movie and dinner out on the town!