ParentDish

Organized sport for the toddler set?

Filed under: Moms, 2 years, 3 years, Adventures in Parenting, Indoor PlayI wore flat boots and my comfiest jeans, unsure of what Moms wear to play floor hockey with their two-year-olds.My Mom had signed Nolan and I up for a Toddler Floor Hockey team at the local rec centre. I'd easily agreed at the time she told me about it: Nolan loves to run and use his hockey stick, and this way I wouldn't have to attempt to lurch around on real skates, which would undoubtedly end in tragedy -- plus, it might be excellent for my fat/skinny legs and Nolan's rampaging energy levels.But as we approached the door, my stomach did a little flip flop. Floor hockey for a bunch of mini-people who cannot believe in the existence of man-sized spiders and who mostly prefer to poop in their pants? How can they possibly know how to aim for the next and not the adult's faces and will there be an awful lot of sprawling and tantruming during the inevitable ball-stealing?When we got their, a lone, skinny 19-year old stick handled a ball around the polished wood floor, and Nolan and I shinnied until a dozen other toddlers arrived. At first it was chaos and I was awkwardly sweating and being way too tall and pretending that I didn't mind that Nolan had just crushed that delicate little boy into the wall. wished I could be swallowed up via a trap door in the But then, two young organizers gave direction and most of the toddlers listened: Simon says pass the ball, touch the wall, where are you Mr. Wolf? Doing 6 passes! Nolan took some kind of invisible cue from the other small people, and suddenly started to take direction, too: sporadically passing the ball to me, flailing to the walls along with the other hordes of frankensteining toddlers.At the end, the instructors sang songs and gave out stickers as the toddlers waited patiently. Yeah, team sports seem a little young for a 2-and-a-half year old, but the concept isn't as absurd as I thought, at first. This is the beginning of an outsider providing instruction and direction in a fun environment -- like pre-school study without actual study. I think I'll go next weekend with a little less trepidation.Permalink Email this Linking Blogs Comments