Then last week we got a note from the school saying that they were offering soccer, karate, and cheerleading in their after school program. I had known about karate and cheerleading. Several of Ellie's best buddies are in cheerleading. Last year she was constantly asking us if she could do it, though she really didn't know what it was. She just knew her friends all got to stay after school, eat lunch, and cheerlead twice a week.
For a variety of reasons, we decided not to enroll her in cheerleading. Maybe I'll save that for another post. She started swimming classes instead, and she and Hazel love that. Plus, life-long skills.
So, when I saw that soccer was being offered, I was excited. I immediately asked the office secretary in Spanish, "Is soccer new this year?"
"No. It's not new. It's just for boys."
My equity-seeking soul flipped a switch. In a bit of a fast-paced rant:
"Púchica! What?!? Why not? What if a girl wants to play soccer? Or, what if a boy wants to do cheerleading?"
The secretary looked at me, and made side glances at her coworkers, a little taken aback. "Uh, I'll ask."
I never heard anything the rest of the week from the school, and the form said nothing about gender, so we made the decision to just send in the note and assume all was good.
And it is. She started today and she loved it. She was so excited to take her lunch and extra water bottle and soccer clothes to change into. (She wears the same soccer shirt/jersey and shorts anytime there is going to be something active. They're her self-appointed "exercise clothes.")
She got to be goalie for a while. She told me she played on the boys' team. And...there was one other girl. A win for soccer and a win for women's rights everywhere. :)
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| Not sure about the pose here, I think she was copying my hand on my hip. |
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