It might seem like a weird thing to be bragging about, but... DD7 just got knocked down for the first time in a soccer game last weekend.

She's been playing for months now and showing flashes of ability, but there's always been something holding her back from putting in her best effort, and as a result she spent a lot of time ball watching. We knew this was coming from a highly-developed sense of fair play, where she was afraid of hurting any of the other girls, and she had no tolerance if someone was going to be making contact with her.

Endless coaching from her coaches and parents hadn't yielded any results. Finally, I sat her down at the computer and we watched video of women's World Cup action, and I pointed out where the players were making contact and the refs were doing nothing. Her next practice was a revelation.

On game day she was always in the thick of the action in the first half. That's when she got knocked down (on incidental contact), and she got right back up and into the play. In the second half the mind was still willing, but the body was not. Poor dear wore herself out in the first half.