Boots for the Future
My (not so) little man @judethedude has been an avid soccer fan for as long as I can remember... in fact, his love for ball sports in general started from a very, very young age and it became obvious really early on that he had a great aptitude for it. He did all sorts initially - from tennis to rugby etc. but his one true passion and love has always been soccer - or "football" as some call it.
So, yesterday after soccer practice, he was talking about how his boots are getting too small for him. This conversation happens entirely too often for my liking, lol - I mean have you SEEN the price of soccer boots?!?!?! Anyhooo, not like there is much we can do about that - so enroute home, we stopped off to go get him a new pair of boots - which is pretty much where the inspiration for this post came from lol.
Since pre-school, there has never been a time in his life when he has not been playing the game. In fact, that was where it all started and even at that age and stage of his life he was already being awarded certificates for his skills on the field. Interestingly enough, a hereditary physical hindrance which Jude was born with has actually ended up being the ace up his sleeve.
Jude has a skew hip, just like I do - except his is the opposite hip to me. When I was a little girl, my hip turned in so badly that I actually used to drag my one foot when I walked. I did ballet for many years to correct that and though it still causes certain pain issues with long term standing or hiking etc. you cannot see it when looking at me. Judes situation was not quite as severe as mine, but it still hindered him in some ways. (Jude is the shorty :D )
Being the soft and very sensitive child he was, I struggled with the decision of whether to take him for corrective therapy or not. I did not want to bring highlight to it as a "weakness" or "problem". In the end, I decided against the formal therapy options and just used to do some of my ballet exercises with him at home when he was little - "for fun" - and being a little mommies boy, he was always happy to copy anything I was doing lol.
Thankfully he outgrew the visibility of it, and though it is still skew it does not worry him in the least with anything and was also never a "highlighted" problem in his life... though he is aware of it now. But that skew hip and the slight inward angle of his foot because of it, has made him the best corner goal kicker on every team he has ever been on - which is something that his club mates celebrate him for now.
Jude is such a beautiful young man - not a spoiled or unruly teenager at all! Ok, yes... he is spoiled - he is an only child after all, lol - but he is not spoiled to a point that it has ever changed his wonderful character. Turning 15 in September this year, there are two things which he has been consistently passionate about his whole life - gaming and soccer - so, those are the two facets of his life that yes, he is spoiled in haha!
When they were real teeny tinies in pre-school, they played soccer barefoot and I can remember the absolute excitement when Jude finally got to the point of being allowed to wear soccer boots! He was literally over the moon haha! And since that day, I have been collecting his soccer boots.
Ok weirdo mom... haha! Yeah, I have every single pair. All still covered in the dirt they gathered the last time he wore them. So, why on earth would I do that?! Well... since way back then - I decided to keep them so that I could gift them to him at his 21st. No, the intention is not to hand over a bag of stinky soccer boots to him at his party haha - give me a little more creative credit than that please, lol!
So... the idea was, or is rather - to keep all the boots he uses and then eventually, to have them all professionally box framed in a long thin rectangular frame - obviously something stylish and classy that would suit Judes taste and would look really good up on a some kind of feature wall in his eventual home. Pretty much something like the below pic from google - except with ALL the pairs lined up in one long box frame and also not with any photos or writing under them... just the boots on their own.
Even if he chooses never to put it up on a wall (though I find that doubtful - because men LOVE sports memorabilia, lol) it wouldn't matter. It would still be something which I think would be very special to him one day... even if he currently rolls his eyes at me for keeping them haha!
❤❤❤
Until next time...
Much Love from Country Bumpkinland, South Africa xxx
Jaynielea
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I’m not sure I’d put a pair of signed CR7’s on my wall let alone a pair of my old stinky boots 😆
pooohooo to you @the-gorilla lol :P
Great account of your passionate support for your son and his love of sports. Your dedication to keeping all of his football boots is a touching gesture that will surely mean a lot to him in the future. I hope he continues to pursue his dreams and achieve great success in his football career. My son also practices soccer and I understand your excitement :)
aaaah Thank you so much @charter!!! I appreciate that! Maybe I am just being a silly mom... but I know I would be quite touched if my mom had done something like that for me with my ballet shoes or whatever.... oh wait - she did, lol! She kept all my teddies and dolls... no matter HOW much I moaned at her to throw them away... she never did.
I don't really care if he never mounts what I give him as a gift. As they say - its the thought that counts :)
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