Parenting wisdom upholds

A long-held parenting wisdom dictates that you should not give your children too much too soon. Children who easily get whatever they want do not develop the skills to deal with adversity. And when they do, they tend to face a distinct disadvantage in terms of coping ability.

Perhaps it is because I have a three-year-old, but ever since the really young Spanish team had their way in a seven-nothing romp versus Costa Rica in their first game, I feared they would be in trouble once things got tough. 

Sure enough, La Roja had not managed to win another game in the tournament and crashed out in spectacular fashion against the Atlas Lions on Tuesday night. It kind of reminded me that I should hide the chocolates at home. 

Speaking of parents, the Moroccans seem to be a family-oriented group. We saw Achraf Hakimi being hugged by his mother in the stands, and it has been reported that some players, and even the manager, are being accompanied by both or one of their parents in Qatar. I think we can thank these boys on behalf of guardians around the world for providing us with solid justification for chaperoning our charges.

I picture my child saying one day, "But dad, I want to go on this trip with just my friends!" To which I would reply, "You know nothing child! Just look at that Moroccan team, it is wonderful stuff!"  

In a rebuke heard around the world, Portuguese manager Fernando Santos benched the heretofore untouchable Cristiano Ronaldo, and seemingly benefited from it. The last few months are providing a melancholy coda to CRon's legendary football career. Ousted by his club, he now seems destined to relegation by his own country.

No one, or at least no true football fan, wanted things to turn out this way. Love him or hate him, and as a Liverpool supporter I have many reasons for the latter, you cannot deny Ronaldo's place in the pantheon of greats. He deserves to bow out in a less ignominious manner.

But for that to happen, Ronaldo himself has to understand that he is, at thirty-seven, not the player that he once was. He cannot effectively be the focal point of his team for ninety minutes. He can, however, contribute mightily within a more limited capacity. For that he needs to set aside his personal ego and trials, and project the positivity that his teams can benefit from.  

My favorite CRon moment was him selflessly cheering on his teammates from the sidelines as they won the 2016 Euro. That or a gleeful cameo, where he pulls off yet another miracle from his considerable bag of tricks, is what we want to see and remember.