Passing our love of rugby to our kids

I really love this time of year: there is a hint of spring in the air, a hope for warmer days ahead and it’s time for the Six Nations!

 

Rugby has always been a big part of mine and my husband’s lives. He played and coached for many years with our local club and  while I’ve never played myself (I can’t pass a ball to save my life!) I have always enjoyed watching the game.

 

When we met it was great to be able to share our love for rugby. I learned from him how little I know about the rules, but it doesn’t stop my love of the game. We enjoy the sport so much we even planned our wedding around it so the date we chose didn’t clash with any of the matches.

 

When big tournaments such as the Six Nations began, there was great planning involved as to where we would watch it, with whom and where we would eat. The time of the match would determine these choices and from there we would enjoy the game and hope for a great win.

 

Now with kids the location choice is limited to one - our home. But there is still planning involved, just in a different way!

As we all know, it is difficult to watch what you want when your kids are about, so with that in mind, my planning skills come into play. There are naps to be taken, mouths to be fed and playing to be done, all while trying to watch some of the game.

 

Now that our son is three, it is wonderful to see him get involved in watching the matches too. We often hear him at night or first thing in the morning on the monitor bellowing out Irelands Call. When Ireland plays New Zealand, he does his best to do the Hakka.

 

Our one-year-old daughter hasn’t quite gotten into the spirit of the sport, but judging from her it won’t be long until she joins in with her brother.

 

I know some people don’t understand our passion for the sport and many think it is a rough game but for me, I think it is a wonderful game of passion, fairness, respect and pride. While I miss sometimes being able to watch the full 80 minutes child-free, I love watching my kids learn about the game as best they can for now.

 

Who knows, with role models like Brian O’Driscoll and Fiona Coghlan, we might have two internationals under our roof in years to come!