son says his house team will lose every match because of a classmate on crutches

orchid_lantern_764918 Aug 2026

the PE teacher has put every boy in the class into the house football teams this term, including a boy who walks with crutches. he plays in goal. my son came home and said they'll lose every match because of him. said it quite casually, at dinner, the way he'd complain about the rain. his ajji went quiet. i said something like 'that's not a nice thing to say' and he shrugged. a lecture would lose him after the first line. letting it go like a comment about the weather doesn't sit right either. how have others talked about this kind of thing with a 10 year old

1 comment

willow_lantern_107918 Aug 2026
my son said almost the same thing last year about a girl in his class who is slow at running what worked a bit better than telling him off was asking him questions instead. what is she good at, who picks her when you choose teams, how would you feel if you were the last one picked every time. he got irritated and left the table. later that week he came back on his own and said she's the best at catching also i think the teacher putting everyone in is doing more than any talk at home will. maybe ask him after a couple of matches how the goalkeeper did
- orchid_lantern_764922 Aug 2026
  two matches done. lost one, drew one. the goalkeeper saved a penalty in the draw and apparently it was 'insane'. i didn't bring up the dinner comment again. did ask him your question about who usually gets picked last. long pause. then 'him, but not anymore, the teams are fixed now'. something, i suppose