This morning I went to my first wrestling tournament. Still not sure how I felt about it.

My cousin has been after me for weeks to come check him out -it is his first year on varsity- and I felt like it was just something I should do for him. First and foremost, high school bleachers + an already sore back = not the greatest day I could have had, but he was so happy to see CJ and me there that I was more than willing to tough it out.

The reason my cousin was so determined for me to go is because he wants my son to wrestle when he is older. I keep saying that MJ is only nine months old and we have plenty of time to figure things like that out, but my cousin -smarty pants that he is- knew my excuses were just delay tactics because of how I felt about the sport.

I grew up in a house where weight was always an issue. I ABSOLUTELY refuse to raise my children in the same environment. The idea of letting my son participate in a sport where he would be weighed on a daily basis is a big deal for me. That alone I was not sure if I could be okay with.

After watching a few matches, I found that I could partially get into the action when it was not someone I knew (which was most of them as I do not make a habit of frequenting high school events) but when it was my cousins turn, every body slam, every rough move made me squirm in discomfort. How could I possibly remain a calm and sane person if I were watching another boy do that to my MJ?

My husband used to wrestle and takes no issue with the sport. He said he would never allow any of our boys (if we have another one) to cut more than five pounds to “make weight.” I can be okay with that. As to watching my boy potentially take a beating? Well, we will have to wait and see. Maybe MJ will never really get into wrestling.

I have a feeling that no matter how I may try to encourage another winter sport, wrestling may be what I am stuck with. My cousin already attempts to teach MJ moves -getting the baby to pin his teddy bear. He is confident that he can turn MJ into a state champ by the time he is a freshman in high school. As that is quite a long way away, I say go for it. MJ adores him and I love watching them spend time together. As to whether or not I will be spending a lot of time in sweaty wrestling rooms, only time can tell.