The Courage of Children: Boston and Beyond XXXI

Vanessa De Los Santos
Hanna Shibles, Teacher
Mother Caroline Academy, Dorchester, MA
Showing courage is not as easy as you think, but it’s possible. Have you ever
felt like you wanted to do something but couldn’t find the courage to do it?
Well, you’re not alone.
This all started when my sister came up to me and asked if I wanted to try out
a sport. It wasn’t basketball season so she asked if I wanted to play soccer. I
said no because I had never played, and I knew I was going to be bad at it. She
signed me up anyway, and when she told me that we had to get my soccer gear,
I was really upset because I didn’t want to embarrass myself. I didn’t know how
to play the sport, and I didn’t want to look like I didn’t know what I was doing.
“Have you ever felt
like you wanted
to do something
but couldn’t find
the courage to do
it? Well, you’re
not alone.”
My sister had a different attitude than me. She told me, “Don’t be scared to try
something new. Even if you’re bad at soccer, work hard and try.” That made
me feel better about playing. The first day of soccer I stepped onto the field,
and instantly I felt the breeze coming from the trees. The closer we got to the
team, the more nervous I felt. I had all these questions in my head: Am I going
to make new friends, or will I cause my team to lose the game because I didn’t
know what I was doing?
I was so nervous that I had to tell my sister to come with me to introduce
myself to the coach. When I got to my team, my coach welcomed me, and I
felt much better about being in soccer. We started to practice, and I felt like
everyone could see how bad I was. My soccer ball was going everywhere, and
the other kids would lose their ball or balance because I didn’t know how
to control my kicks. Every time I went to practice, I wanted to quit.
When I got home that day I was so tired I couldn’t feel my feet. I wanted to
learn some soccer techniques, so I went on YouTube and grabbed my soccer
ball and got to work. Even though I was tired, I started to love the game. I was
afraid, but I decided I would not let fear keep me from learning something
new. To me, being courageous is not giving up even when you are scared.
The Courage of Children: Boston and Beyond
Volume XXXI
22 23