So annoyed with DS2

[killerinme]

At the start of the summer hols we got a leaflet through the door advertising saturday morning football classes with proper Hull City profesional coaches.

It was £20 for a 6 week course and at the end they get a football and certificate.

I knew DS2 (6) liked playing football so I asked if he wanted to go, he said yes. I said he needed to be very sure as once I had paid the £20 he would have to go every week for 6 weeks...he agreed.

It started this morning, I asked again if he was 100% sure, he said yes, I warned him that if I paid £20 he would be made to go for 6 weeks, he again agreed.

So I paid it, took him this morning and he just stood there gawping at the other pitch whilst he was supposed to be warming up, stood watching passing trains whilst the coach was explaining what they had to do, stood there gawping at the cars when his number was shouted out (meaning he had to run) and then got shouted at by the rest of his team for not running, towards the end he came across to me and said he was tired/bored/had headache...I was getting annoyed at this point and told him to go back to the coach, DS2 refused and sat in a sulk, the coach carried on without him, I got irate and ordered DS to get his self across the field to where he should be, he went reluctantly and then just stood there picking his nose whilst the rest of the kids played a game around him.

I was fuming. When the coach asked if he'd had a good time DS said no. When DS1 asked him if he was going back next week DS2 said no. I reminded him that he was indeed going back next week and would be for 6 weeks and he went off on one saying he didn't like football anyway.

I'm livid, I'm short of money at the moment anyway so £20 is alot of money just to throw down the drain.

Am I out of order for making him go back next week?

make him go as agreed, but he's only 6 so don't be too cross with him. Six year olds do have limited attention spans, get distracted etc. & some kids do find it hard to integrate with others that they don't know. Might all be a different story next week.

Hmm. Yes, a bit, and no, not really. I know it's a lot of money but 6 is (IMO) a tiny bit young for this sort of very organised activity (for some, not all children). That said, I think I would insist he stays half the course, i.e. goes twice more - he might end up getting the idea and getting into it.

I wouldn't have got so annoyed with him for whingeing, tbh, especially not as it was towards the end and the exercise, especially if unused to, might well have been making him tired/headachey.

You should make him go, he has committed to it and should turn up.
Maybe talk to him about the importance of really giving it a go and throwing himself into it; he is only little so he doesn't realise how much more enjoyable things are if you give it your best.
Just forcing him to go probably means he won't make an effort, so maybe tell him if he really joins in for two weeks and then doesn't want to go back, well that will be okay with you.