A cause for tears

Towards the end of Natalie's soccer practice the other day, I went across the field and was catching up with my friend Tom, and really wasn't paying attention to what was going on on the field. All of a sudden the coach, Paul, calls out to me: "Clark! Come here!" So I hustled over, and heard Natalie crying. As I approached, I saw that her hands were over her face and she was sobbing. Oh shit, I'm thinking, she got banged in the face with the ball or something.

But no. She had scored an own goal (or thought that she had, the other coach said the ball was already in the goal when her foot hit it). This in a 5 on 5 game of novice 7- and 8- year olds with no ref, no goalies, and no scorekeeping. She was inconsolable for a few minutes.

So where did she get this, this extreme anxiety about making a mistake, even in the most casual of settings. I don't think we've ever encouraged it. Peer pressure is no frickin joke. Or is this a biochemical / temperament thing?