I did soccer from when I was 4 to when I was 17. My mom called that young age group the "bumble bee soccer" because all the little kids quickly swarm the ball where ever it goes. Some parents definitely have high hopes for their kids, which I think is weird. My parents just let me tryw whatever I wanted to try. I mainly stayed in activities because most of my friends were in them too. I went from house league soccer to club soccer because I. Was frustrated with bumble bee soccer. I understood how the game needed to be played intellectually and thought all my teammates were stupid for not seeing the field how I saw it.

Then started my struggle with the politics of the soccer crowd in my affluent subburb. So I eventually stopped when I realized my talent wasn't being recognized and I couldn't progress any further. Also, all the girls in the higher ranked teams all knew each other and didn't like me. So I picked up ultimate frisbee instead. And now a bike.

I really liked soccer. I wish I could've gone further with it. I would say just be sure to encourage the kids to have fun. And you know what, all they need to learn how to do at 4 and 5 is kick the ball in a straight line. And that its okay to both win and lose. And "teamwork isn't about winning or losing." (Oh yeah, that's a gem.) Bumble bee soccer is okay.