So you remember the post I wrote last Wednesday, two posts ago, about soccer practice? Well, tonight was all about proving two things to me: a) nothing's predictable b) people can change

About 5 minutes into practice, Evan stole the ball during a one-on-one drill, headed toward the other goal, and scored! Just like that. 1, 2, 3. As though he were demonstrating how the drill was to be done.

I was absolutely floored.

He also picked up the ball when it went out of bounds and was headed toward the coach to return it, and another kid tried to take it from him. He pulled it away and turned his body to protect it while still walking, then handed it to the coach.

I actually heard myself publicly praise him right then- Good job, Evan!- and reinforced that we do, in fact, beat him with his shin guards every night at 7 o'clock between teeth-brushing and prayers.

Another time tonight, he wedged his way into the swarm, stole the ball again, and ran ahead of the crowd with it toward the goal... only he was so focused on the ball that he lost his sense of direction and dribbled right on to the parking lot.

When he was corrected and came back onto the field, he could hear Shaun and me laughing from the sidelines and looked over, smiling, and asked, "what are you laughing about?"

"About how well you are doing!" I said.

Another time, after he trailed the swarm, not even bothering to catch up with them, he heard Shaun yell, "You're doing a great job, buddy!"

He looked over and laughed "no, I'm not!"

Now that's just insulting, okay, people? I'm not re-tada.

Shaun and I were beside ourselves in shock, completely giddy in the surprise of it all. What could have made the difference? What had gotten into him? Perhaps this was how he was; had to study it and learn it before he made his entrance into it. He was the same way at school. At swim class, come to think of it. Yes, we could see that. But still, we marveled- such a drastic difference in a week.

Then we knew. We saw what had happened. Shaun was the one to figure it out:

"It's like he's been staying up late at night reading the blog."

And that would perfectly explain the cookie crumbs and red blankie we found by the computer the other morning, wouldn't it?

Labels: adventures in sports, Evan