It's making my soul sing

It's mother's day! I love being a mother.

In my ideal role, I'm watching my kids partake, achieve and I'm there cheering them on.

I'm not a mum who is living my non-achievements through my kids.

Never in my life have I wanted to play football, volleyball, the Clarinet, the Saxophone, or hockey, but what I do want is to encourage my children to try and taste everything. Get an experience of life, to let them see how much is out there. How much fun, How much laughter and how much excitement there is out there. To my joy. They are doing that.

This weekend, it was Boy's turn. He was playing in the U19 Playoffs, in the way that Tooli was playing in the U16 playoffs a fortnight ago. We were late arriving and they had already lost the first set. Boy was in Mr Angry Mode and we were trying as hard as we could to convey to him, it was the playing that mattered, not the winning but you can't expect a 17 year old, high achiever to understand that.

He was distraught at loosing, even more so, to his friend who was playing on the opposite side. We met him in the cafe after and he was still simmering. It is awful to watch and there appears to be nothing we can do to calm him down. He still had to play a second match, and thankfully by the time it was due to start he was in fine form, and looking forward to playing again. They won, and played brilliantly. If the draw had been different that would have been the team they played in the first match, and maybe they would have made the final. As it was they played a great second game, and came out worthy winners.

To me, as his mother I couldn't have been prouder to watch my son put his whole heart and soul and spirit into the game he loves and the game I'm hoping to let him go away thousands of miles to play.