Things we’ve lost on the field
Now that our son is 8, we think he should be responsible for keeping track of his gear. Fortunately, the coaching staff agrees and our coach reminds the players to mind their things.
Connor’s gear bag usually has the following items in it when he leaves the house:
- Cleats
- Extra socks
- Slides
- Shin guards
- GK gloves
- GK jersey
- Water bottle
- Sunscreen
- Ball
- Practice shirt
- Uniform change (the other kit color, just in case)
Sometimes, he will be wearing the shin guards, cleats and uniform.
At the end of practice or the game, it never fails that one of us and Connor are on the field hunting down missing items. It’s as though the child runs across the field with the bag unzipped, tossing his items out as he goes.
This season, Connor has lost one bright orange Adidas size 4 ball, one UNCG size 4 ball from camp and a pair of shin guards. All of these items were left on fields. I am most bummed about the Adidas ball, which disappeared during the Adidas Clash tournament in early November 2018. Why? It has his name and my phone number on it. And there was a lost and found at the concession stand. I think it’s pretty crappy that someone would just keep the ball.
Several players on our team reported lost team jackets. The jackets have the team’s logo and the players’ numbers on them. The jackets cost a lot more than a ball.
As team manager, I’ve sent out a lot of “Missing Item” messages. Unfortunately, most of those items are never found or returned to their owners. And that’s frustrating.
Yes, children need to be responsible for their gear. However, they are rushing to get to and from the bench area and they will forget things in their haste.
We need to lend a hand with the hunt and teach our children that mistakes happen and loss happens. We also need to help them think about valuing what they have. Connor has said, “We can just get a new one.” Yes, we can, but we shouldn’t have to do that. What I have done with him (and it sort of works) is have him retrace his steps from memory. That’s how we realized he took his shin guards out after practice and tossed them on the field. Practice and game were four days apart and we had three days of solid rain in between. So, he bought new shin guards with his money. I hope spending his money will help teach him to value both his money and gear — and be more responsible.