My sons have played soccer since they were five. They’ve dabbled in other sports but have consistently competed in travel soccer. We eat, breathe, and live soccer. So, imagine my surprise when my firstborn, Chance, at the beginning of his 7th grade year said, “Mom, I want to play football.” Ummmm…what?! First of all, he’s never played American football. Second, his current stature was of a prepubescent miniature human ranking the smallest in his class. Third, what?! I tried to talk him out of it, but then I realized my role as his mom was to foster a safe environment for him to try things and make decisions on his own. So he enrolled. Two weeks in, he said, “Mom, I hate football. Everyone has been playing since they were little, and I’m not good at it. I want to quit.” I knew this would happen, but you’ll be happy to know I didn’t say that. Instead, I said, “Honey, we’re never good at things on the first try. And honestly, you may never be the best at football. That’s ok.