L to R: Sha, Har Mama, Stinkypants.
Before we begin, a quick shoutout to Neha's brother, Nihar, and his fiancee, Sharlene, whom Saavan refers to as "Har Mama" and "Sha." (Saavan's got mad speaking skillz.) Nihar and Sharlene came to visit Saavan this past weekend, and pointed out that little, if any space in the blog up to this point has been devoted to them. Which, given that they are and always will be two of Saavan's most immediate family members, is an unforgiveable error. Especially because 1) they make an effort to come down to DC from NYC at least once every 6 weeks to see their nephew; and 2) I know that they will contribute so much to Saavan's life as he grows up. From Sharlene, Saav will learn the value of hard work, education, and respect for others (she's a teacher), the importance of family, and healthy living (Sharlene is also a yoga expert). And from Nihar Saav will learn all about English Premier League soccer, overpriced hair styling products, and how to wear incomprehensibly tight European-style jeans. Saavan is lucky for the influences in his life. Har Mama and Sha, please accept my apologies.
At 18 months old, Saavan is already taller than Har Mama.
Today's post is about Saavan's participation in his first soccer class (to answer your question: yes, he dominated). Indisputably very exciting, but before we can get there, I must relay a story from this past Sunday evening. In an effort to alleviate Saavan's frustration at being stuck in his carseat for much of the weekend, we took him to the mall so that he could roam freely without running into walls and obstacles, which is typically what happens in our house. As always, Saavan had a great time, tiring himself out running around in circles after about 15 minutes, and so Neha picked him up. While carrying him through Macy's and checking out the Christmas sales, Neha wasn't paying attention and totally trucked an old lady, knocking her backwards but (fortunately) not quite down. What a moment! Neha was totally embarrassed and felt horrible, and the old lady, who was incredibly kind, saw that Neha was carrying an adorable toddler, and was similarly embarrassed. There were no hard feelings, and Neha and the elderly woman spent a couple of minutes profusely apologizing to one another and exchanged holiday wishes, and then went on their way. It was, all in all, a non-event, but I found it very exciting and embracing of the holiday spirit. Saavan did too. On the way home, he couldn't stop talking about how it was moments like those that allowed us to look beyond the crass commercialism that has taken over the season and remember what the holidays are really all about. (Presents.)
No pictures of the collision. But we do have Saavan eating yogurt!
In other news, this past Saturday we took Saavan to his first soccer class. Upon reading this you're probably asking yourself, "wait, how old is Saavan again?" The answer: almost 18 months. And so now you're asking "they have soccer classes for kids that young?" The answer: yes! Well, sort of. Saavan is enrolled in the "bunnies" (ages 18-24 months) soccer class in the "Lil' Kickers" program at the Dulles Sports Complex. (Side note - how adorable is the name "Lil' Kickers?" Is there anything that isn't made overwhelmingly adorable by adding the prefix "Lil''" to it? "Lil' Chefs." "Lil' Investment Bankers." "Lil' Breakdancers." If I were an evil genius, I would create a group of baby jewel thiefs that would rob banks and high-end stores like Tiffanys, and call them "Lil' Armed Robbers." TOO ADORABLE. Do you think any jury in America would ever convict them? They'd be too distracted by how cute they were. "OMG look at their tiny weapons!")
Lil' Kicker.
Saavan's soccer class is less about refined soccer skills such as dribbling, passing, and juggling, and more just an opportunity for the kids to run around for 45 minutes, occassionally kicking soccer balls or cones or any other random objects they encounter (which sometimes includes other kids). Besides, as the Lil' Kickers website explains, "we don't just teach soccer to kids - we use soccer as a tool to teach kids about life." Which is awesome. We would have been fine with them just teaching soccer to kids.
What is not awesome is that we basically paid $170 for Saavan to run around for 45 minutes every Saturday morning. He already does that all day long in our house for free. But at least there is some semblance of "soccer" being taught to these kids for 45 minutes during each session. Although in reality, it's more like 35 minutes of soccer-like substance, then 10 minutes of the instructor blowing soap bubbles while the kids run around chasing them. What do bubbles have to do with soccer? Nothing. Why is there a 10-minute bubble-chasing session included in the class? I can't be positive, but I'm guessing this is the reason:
Lil' Kickers Exec. No. 1: Here's the plan - a 35-minute weekly soccer class for toddlers. We can charge $170 for it.
Lil' Kickers Exec. No. 2: $170 for only 35 minutes? Doesn't that seem a little steep?
Lil' Kickers Exec. No. 1: Well the expense would certainly be more justifiable if the class was 45 minutes, but you can't expect anyone to teach 18-month olds soccer for 45 minutes straight. These kids have no attention span.
Lil' Kickers Exec. No. 2: What if you kept the class at 35 minutes, but add in 10 minutes of bubble-chasing time?
Lil' Kickers Exec. No. 1: 10 minutes of bubble-chasing time? Brilliant!
I'm pretty sure that's the explanation.
Nothing says "tools to teach kids about life" like "bubbles."
Saav kicking cone.
