Soccer Dad.

Signed my 5 year old up lad up for soccer this past winter.

Stood in line on a cold winter day for about 90 minutes or so while the line for the sign-up snaked it's way around the building and up the stairs of the Burlington Youth Soccer Club. The building was butt ugly and the view encompassed a parking lot and the QEW. Not much to keep 2 squirming, bored children interested or engaged, but I kept telling myself that this would be a good thing for him.

Plunked my cash down and we, or rather I, gleefully waited for the start of J 's first season as a bona-fide player of the classic suburban sport - soccer. The whole experience felt like a right of passage and I could hardly wait for the Wednesday after Victoria day when it would all begin,

Things did not go well.

And to understand why you have to understand my son. J is a stubborn and willful lad. When he digs his five-year-old heels in there is no moving him until he is ready. When we first moved to Burlington from the Big Smoke he was set to start JK in September. He started in May. And it was not for lack of trying on our part (or the teacher's, principal, special ed teacher etc..). He simply decided there was no way in hell he was going to school and that was that.

So my wife and I approached soccer with levity and enthusiasm and joy and support and love. The big day came. I took an early GO train home so I could get him fed and to the game on time. It was at Optimist park and even I felt overwhelmed with the mayhem and noise of 10 teams of small boys running around and kicking yellow balls in every direction. So I can only imagine how he felt.

We found the coach, got the uniform and ball and off he went to show-off his skills. So far, so good. I grinned like a Cheshire cat, I was so happy. The team finished up the 20 minute practice and then gathered round the coach for the pre-game pep talk. And then it happened. Someone stepped on his hand and he started crying and that, my dear readers, was that. We tried the next week but he would not even come out of the house. He yelled and cried and kicked and screamed and no matter what form of persuasion or bribe we tried he had decided that he would not play soccer.

At least we got a refund.

Sustainable huh?

I am a member of a citizen's committee on sustainable development (an oxymoron if ever there was one) and part of the task we have set for ourselves this year is to create a document that sets the goal for the city corporation to reach in terms of CO2 reduction.

The problem is that the corporation is only responsible for a minute portion of the green gas emissions with the bulk of the emissions coming from the citizens. Like any typical suburban community ours has sprawled. The new subdivisions are car centric, built on farm land and completely unsustainable. So how do you reverse these mistakes? No idea. The only ways to reduce emissions from a car centric society is to come up with a car that pollutes less, offer reliable and free public transportation or tax the people. None of them easy choices.

But the alternative is not so great either.