Pick-up Games

     I broke out the soccer goal and last years balls yesterday and got the girls playing some pick-up in the front yard. Before we knew it, we had some neighborhood girls jump in too. The girls were yelling and fighting it out to score and I could see how much better they already were from where we left off last season. It reminded me of something I see missing here from my childhood, and that is the no-adult pick-up games. Most of the scrimmaging I did as a boy was in the neighborhood without any adult supervision. I probably progressed the most when I had to go up against older boys who, without any adults around, were not afraid to exert their age-based superiority. I know we live in the Play-Date Culture now, but we parents need to push our kids out into the yard without us so that they can learn to play the game without us leaning over them.