XRACE brings joy to family

FOR eight years I have been saying to my sons: "Hurry up", "Walk faster" and "Keep up".

Now there has been many a time in my children's lives when I have been happy to dawdle along with them, simply taking in life. However, sometimes life demands some sense of urgency and you simply have to get from A to B.

But a few weekends ago, the roles were reversed and everything changed.

My family did the XRACE.

XRACE is a team event made up of 10 different challenges. Each team comprises two people - an adult (Dad or Mum or a trusted relative or family friend) and a child aged between 6 and 14 years of age.

Last weekend we completed the Hawera XRACE and I haven't stopped smiling since.

We made Lego, made and flew paper planes, navigated a giant inflatable obstacle course, played Chinese hacky sack, painted a plane, decoded a word using Morse code, jumped with our team member (my 8-year-old son) in a giant sack, got led blindfolded by our child, did tangram, swam six laps of the Hawera pool and danced on a grandstand.

Oh ... and not forgetting the running in between challenges. There was so much running.

There was a moment in the race when I realised, I am not the fast one any more - my son is. I had to give my all just to keep up with him - he jumped faster and higher, he ran with great gusto and he swam like a fish.

My interference in building the Lego car cost us precious time. If I had left the damn thing to him we would have been flying out in front. Meddling mother I am not, so this has been a valuable lesson for me not to interfere.

Watch your children grow and recognise when the time is right to give them some autonomy. My son's time is here.

I can only imagine that I have six to 12 months of keeping up with my son. After that, the relationship will change and I know it will be him saying to me: "Hurry up, mum - you can do it."

I am crying as I write this - I suppose because I am sad that soon my son won't need me so much any more, and that as my body loses fitness his will only become stronger.

But the dominant emotion is joy. I am overjoyed that my son is showing such passion, determination, fitness and a love of life.

I think every family ought to go through at least one XRACE - we plan to take part every year. It is such a fun way to learn how to work as a team, to see what your kids and your family are made of.

We are all so busy nowadays that sometimes we don't see how fantastic our kids are becoming. For me the XRACE was a magnificent way of observing the strengths of my children, and our family ... something I will take with me into the rest of this year.

Thanks, XRACE organisers, for a great family-building day.