Teenage Girl Chickens

Last Saturday Pooh and I were sitting in his mama's van waiting for her to fetch us a couple hot drinks from their small-town coffee shop. On a day that, technically, was still supposed to be summer, the morning temp had registered 39.

Pooh had just finished a soccer game that pretty well froze his fingers and ears, and I had tried to keep warm by pacing up and down the sideline while he dribbled and kicked. (Let the record show that he scored the first goal of the game, which his team went on to "win" 5-4.)

With Mama stymied by a long line of frozen soccer fans and slow service, it occurred to Pooh and me that we would be warmer if the side door of the van were closed. (Yes, we are that astute.)  But when I got out to shut it. I was reminded that their van doesn't have a push-button door like mine does. I was standing there puzzling over how to close the door when Pooh suddenly yelled, "Pull it!"

I am always amazed by the triggering process whereby some random sensory stimulus pulls a seemingly unrelated thought up into the consciousness. In this case, I immediately associated "Pull it!" with the word pullet, meaning a young chicken.

From there my mind tripped down a neural pathway where I found a long-hidden game my dad used to play with us. Of course, I had to share it with Pooh, so I clambered back to where I could reach him strapped into a back seat and began.

I touched his forehead with a forefinger and said, "Rooster," his nose and said, "Pullet," and his chin and said, "Hen." Then, as Dad did with me many, many times, I went back to his nose and asked, "Now, what did I say this was?"

"Pullet," he said, and I said, "Okay," before giving his nose a little tug. Pooh cackled at the joke in his best chicken fashion--but he didn't know what a pullet is.  To get my facts exactly right, I consulted Mr. Google before explaining.

"A pullet is a girl chicken that is not quite one year old," I paraphrased. "She hasn't lost her feathers yet, but she has already started laying eggs." We both pondered this. "It's kind of like a teenage girl chicken," I added.

Pooh marveled that a chicken could be a teenager in just a year. I marveled at the timing of this spontaneous little episode on the day that marked the third anniversary of Dad's passing. It was almost as though he had come back for a moment to laugh and play with us.

I finally got the door shut. The drinks arrived, coffee for me and hot chocolate for him. The magic of the moment was gone, but the memory of it is still as warm and delicious as the first sip of coffee on a cold morning.  

Sooby in Shin Guards

Sooby met her first day of soccer practice with considerable apprehension.  "I will never be able to kick the ball that high," she lamented.  "It's just too far."  Turns out, she was imagining a field with basketball goals at each end.  She knew it was against the rules to use her hands, and she just couldn't imagine booting a ball high enough to make a basket.

Soccer is a game we know well in this family.  Son Teebo began playing when he was seven and pretty much dribbled his way through his childhood years and into four years of high school and traveling ball.  Generally his job was to sweep the backfield, the final line of defense before the goalie.  It was a position he relished for its crashes and clashes and overall general mayhem.  Hopefully, Sooby and her four-to-six-year-old teammates won't display this level of competitive killer instinct.

Taught judiciously in the early years, the game of soccer, it would seem, offers some important life lessons.  Here are the ones I hope Sooby learns, at least for now:

1. Run through the grass every chance you get.
2. If you get tired, sit on the bench for a while.
3. Keep your hands where they're supposed to be.
4. Keep the ball under control.
5. If you get in a bind, pass the ball off to a teammate.
6. If your teammate gets in trouble, help her out.
7. Watch for loose balls: these are opportunities.
8. Keep an eye on the goal ahead; try not to get sidetracked.
9. If you miss your goal, try again.  It is hard to hit for a reason.
10. Adapt your strategy when others try to keep you from making your goal.
11. Remember to use your head.
12. Try not to trip anyone.
13. If you fall down, get back up.
14. If you get dirty, don't worry; mud washes off.
15. Stop when you hear a whistle.
16. Yellow and red cards may be pretty, but try to pass them up.
17. Don't kick anyone on purpose, especially people dressed like zebras.

These are lessons that, with only slight modifications, should serve little soccer players well as they begin their school years.  I am looking forward to watching Sooby run carefree down the field in her little red shin guards.  If she happens to do that with a ball in the immediate vicinity, then all the better.