by Tracee Sioux
Completely violating my goal to say no to good things as I vowed to do in my column Priorities, I am the new coach of Ainsley's soccer team.
Perhaps you recall my protest last fall when my five-year-old daughter, Ainsley's, soccer coach informed me that her team was being named The Bratz. If you missed it, you should check out Go Bratz Go! where I reported how I was the only parent against naming a little girls' soccer team after vapid dolls that dress like hookers. I convinced the parents to change the name to Butterflies.
The soccer commissioners refused to be flexible about their deadline and wouldn't allow the name change. After a lot of consideration in, No Bratz No! Tantrum or Go With The Flow?, she played on the team. She was wearing an unempowering uniform which declared her a brat in bold black letters.
Playing sports is a huge confidence builder and seriously empowering for girls. Girls must have exercise, let's not forget the BMI Red Zone. Soccer beats cheerleading, in my opinion, as I said in Give Me an "A". I didn't see how anything empowering would be accomplished by yanking her off the soccer team in protest of the name. I certainly didn't want the message to be - if you don't get your way, pick up your toys and go home.
My protest, I do think, made some people think about the issue of what kind of influences their expose their daughters are exposed to. So, it wasn't a complete waste.
This season they needed a coach. I volunteered because I, as the coach, get to name the team. I also think it's important to be involved in my kids' education, activities and sports.
We'll be making a fashion statement in black shirts with pink script, pink shorts and pink socks (hopefully). I know penguins are black and white, but I didn't want to try to keep white clean.
I'm the new coach of Happy Feet.
9 comments:
Uh, oh. You know how you said "my life suddenly got really busy, and I don't like it." Well, you just damned yourself to an eternity of busy-ness. You will be kicking balls (not Jeremy's) in your sleep, and mumbling things like "put your game face on," and "bring it on home Madison!"
You just thought you were busy. Who are you, and what have you done with Tracee?!!
I'm the lady who wanted to control the name of my kid's soccer team so badly she said yes when she probably should have said no. I do kind of have buyers regret. That's the problem with a resolution - lots of false starts.
I'm also the lady who walks around half the day wondering how the other mothers are accomplishing so much while I'm exhausted doing what I do. You know, like homeschool AND write a blog AND have a special needs child, plus two more AND do all the housework AND volunteer AND participate in church AND make her own laundry detergent AND live green with a compost pile AND work out.
Perhaps I'm feeling the pressure of "all the other mothers are doing it."
I have to take her to the practice and games anyway. I might as well be the one who gets to name the team ANYTHING other than Bratz!
Where was NO I don't have time when I needed it?
Tracee
I am SO pleased to have discovered your blog via Carnival of Feminists and have added you immediately to my blogroll. And brava you for taking on the fight against the Bratz Machine.
PLEASE do not feel pressured by me. I have barely worked out all month (my butt needs it's own zip code at the moment.) The laundry detergent took 20 minutes to make, and my main motivation was the cheap-ness of it anyway. Plus, I'm not that green. My kid uses big plastic medical diapers big enough for me to wear. We should have our own personal landfill.
You can do it. I was just giving you crap because I'm mean like that.
Yes, I blog, but it is mostly fluff. You are like a machine. A badass, non-smoking, writting machine who also coaches a (soon-to-be-empowered) girls soccer team.
Go you!
Seriously, don't waste guilt on those diapers - the environment's got bigger problems - like all the SUVS and bottled water. Guaranteed you're not creating more than your share of the environmental problem.
I have ZERO guilt about the use of diapers. I would never waste a second feeling guilty if I had a child in perpetual, no end in sight, diapers.
Tracee
Congratulations - I think ha ha ha!
And just remember the story of Happy Feet - if you are cute enough and can dance, you can change the world and solve the environmental issues through media interest.
So get that cheersquad in full voice, doing the soft shuffle and EMPOWER the Penguins!!
I woulda been with you on the anti-bratz naming committee..
Happy Feet is the cutest name ever. Much better than Skanks, ahem, I mean Bratz. It's funny you talked about how others are accomplishing so much, Trace, because I am always so impressed with everything YOU do - go to the gym, be a mentor, clean your mother-in-law's house and raise two kids. You are my hero. I spent about three hours babysitting today and I got nothing else done, ordered pizza for dinner and I am wiped! How do ya both do it? (and how do you make your own laundry detergent???)
How do I do it? I walk around angry a lot of the time. That's the truth of it.
Tracee
It's true, she is angry...a lot. Her tombstone will say "I'm dead, and that PISSES ME OFF!" :P
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