3 Lessons I Didn’t Expect My Kids to Learn from Watching the World Cup
As a Latina, I grew up watching soccer. When I lived in Chile, the country would be almost paralyzed every time the national team was playing. Even if phones and tablets are nearby, my kids, husband, and I focus only on the game; on jumping with joy when our favorite teams score or even getting a bit teary-eyed when the U.S., Chile, or Mexico lost. We comment on the referees, laugh at the fans’ faces, and even take turns imitating the Univision sports commentators. Believe in yourself (and ignore the naysayers).
Even if the odds are stacked against you and people seem to enjoy saying you have no chance of being good at something, you can prove them wrong. I was overjoyed every time I saw the U.S. Few thought they could advance past the first round and they turned millions into believers. Now goalie Tim Howard is a household name … and has the memes to prove it. 2. Keep fighting until the end. In sports you know that every second counts but as the World Cup has shown over and over again, you need to keep fighting until the game is finally over. (and tied the game) with less than thirty seconds remaining, my entire family couldn’t believe it. However, it served as a reminder to my kids that you can never throw in the towel until the game is really over. No matter how good one person is, you can achieve even greater things as part of a team. Soccer is full of amazing players but if they don’t learn to work as a team when representing their country, chances are they won’t advance to the next round. The same thing happened to Spain. Have you watched the 2014 World Cup at all? Let me know if it’s been special for you, too. Find more of Jeannette’s writing on Hispana Global or check out her blog in Spanish. And reach out to her on Twitter and Facebook.
