I have spent the last 4 years, cheering, shouting conjoling and harassing my son every Sinday. Now I know as a mum that is my job, however there are days when I would like to stop!! To not be responsible and just be.

Since my son was young he had always been a nice kid, if some what naive. As with all young boys their immediate sport to get involved with is football. However, to be fair my lad was never going to be a footballer. Lacking some co-ordination and speed was never going to help him be David Beckham mark II. Having been told one saturday by another 5 year old, that if he missed the ball again, he would be stabbed, I decided that that involved too much competition and not something I wanted him involved in. The phrase, "It's only a sport" came to mind!

So having had an interlude of judo, which he was quite good at, but lacked enthusiasm when having to compete against kids 2 to 3 years older than him, a friend and a relative suggested rugby. Neither my husband or I come from a rugby family, although I did use to watch a couple of friends of mine play. So with some trepidation along we went. And every Sunday (and a lot of Saturdays) a muddy field is where I can be found.

Intially it does feel as though you are an invader. It was clear that a number of the 20+ strong squad had played from the age of 5, so he was already a year behind. However, he enjoy the push and shove of tag rugby and getting very muddy. As time has gone on I now feel more a part of the system and he certainly does.

Over the last couple of months he has finally understood what being a prop is! I swear it was when we bought him his first skull cap! There seems to be no stopping him now. He is never going to be a fly boy, however, at approx. 5' 3" and hefty, at the grand age of 10, he is ideal in his chosen position. The prospect of flattening, landing generally STOPPING the opposition he understands. This has given him so much confidence!

Over this weekend, he has taken part in a bag pack to raise money for his team. They are planning to go on a Rugby tour in April. He doesn't want to go, but wanted to help. Had numerous mummy moments when people kept telling me how lovely he was and how confident (almost made me feel sad that I had left this morning, however, he had already told me to go, so not too guilty). Today was the crowning glory. Having tackled a number of the opposition suitable (2 literally back-to-back), he then scores a TRY!! A prop isn't meant to score!! I was so shocked and impressed that I nearly started to cry! He looked a bit stunned too to start with, but eventually we got the grin anticipated. What a great weekend so far.

Looking forward to our next 5 hours of training and fun next weekend.