If you’ve been following Quiet Battles, Are the Stars Finally Aligning?, and The Beautiful Lessons of a First Sports Day, you’ll know our journey through the grassroots football trenches has been part sweat, part sacrifice, and a whole lot of sideline soul-searching. This weekend marked another chapter in the story: KingKong’s first end-of-season awards ceremony with his new semi-professional academy side.
Author: Kelly Kester
If you’ve been following along in Parenting Beyond Performance and Third time lucky, you’ll know that this journey with my son has been anything but ordinary. From emotional football trials to quiet parental battles and the high-stakes third trial, we’ve been riding a roller-coaster of growth, grit, and grace.
But nothing could have prepared me for the unexpectedly profound—and slightly hilarious—life lessons waiting for us at his first
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In Parenting Beyond Performance, I reflected on the heart and mind behind raising a son who doesn’t fit the box. Then came Third time lucky where I shared the emotional build-up to my son’s third and final football academy trial—the early mornings, the long drives, the moments of quiet doubt, and the prayers whispered under my breath.
Today, I write with a full heart: he made it. He
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In my last post, I opened up about the quiet battles of raising a child who doesn’t fit the box. About my son’s journey through grammar school, the detentions, the daily struggles, and the small wins that feel monumental when no one else sees them. That post came from a place of weariness—but also a deep, grounded hope. Yesterday he had his third and final trial session as I mentioned in my last post
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Faith, Growth and the Journey ahead
The countdown began last week, and tomorrow, my son steps back onto the pitch for his “third and final trial session” with the academy—a moment filled with hope, quiet prayer, and a father’s steady nerves. I want nothing more than for him to continue training beyond this final session and into the new season. But whatever the outcome, one truth stands firm: God’s will must prevail.
As part
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This Monday, I watched with bated breath as my son—affectionately nicknamed KingKong—stepped onto the pitch for trials at an established football academy. The competition was intense: dozens of talented, technically gifted kids all vying for a spot.
Yet somehow—against the odds—we got the call: he’s been invited to train with the academy squad.
It’s a milestone. But more than that, it feels familiar. Because we’ve been here before—twice, in fact!
