Bent Soccer Rules

Pappa and his two small great grandsons were having fun playing in the park on a gorgeous afternoon. Kicking around a soccer ball, they soon decided to start a game. Well, a loosely-termed version of the game of soccer. The kind of game that has very few boundaries or rules. Or at least, rules that Pappa and the oldest grandson agreed upon.

At his tender age, Pappa’s four-year-old great grandson, the youngest, had little understanding of how the game should be played. Soccer rules were still only a vague concept to him, largely stemming from overheard conversations between his dad and his uncle as they watched soccer games on TV.  And what a little boy hears, and what a little boy can actually accomplish, is two drastically different things. 

Pappa knew this. So being an indulgent Pappa, the older man decided it was okay to simply bend the rules a little – creating a version of the game that his younger great grandson could actually play that day.

He failed to take into consideration a few things. First, Oldest had recently started playing soccer on a local little boys’ team, and had a rudimentary understanding of the rules of the game. Two, his older great-grand was a stickler for rules being followed in life – at least any rules that benefited him. Third, that kid had a memory like an elephant. 

Need I say more?

I probably don’t need to embellish any further, but I will. 

The game went off the rails at the point when Oldest vehemently challenged Pappa on one of the finer points of a rule for playing soccer. Yet Pappa stood firmly by his version, because of the inabilities of Youngest. Oldest began yelling his protests that Pappa was not following the rules.  Pappa simply dug his figurative heels in the ground, following through on his recently-discovered personal belief that the guy with the most gray hair gets to change the rules to make the game fair for all involved.

And the four-year-old? He quickly wandered off to find entertainment on the swings nearby. Young enough to lose interest when the game was no longer fun, old enough to sense the thick tension in the air, and self-protective enough to vacate the area.  Smart kid.

How long will this disagreement have an effect on the grandson-granddad relationship? Have no idea. Probably depends on two things. The elephant memory of Oldest, and the forgiving nature – or not, of The One With The Most Gray Hair.

A simple example of how life can go haywire in just a few seconds, and ruin a great afternoon in the park. And possibly affect a close relationship for years to come.

Like the Bible says; “For those who have ears to hear, let him hear.” And learn.