RICHLAND TWP - A mother's son certainly can change her life.

Dee Cottage's son redirected hers.

Cottage, 41, is the master instructor of the Young Brothers Tae Kwon-Do school off Route 8 here. The 1981 Butler graduate still lives in her hometown and worked for an eye doctor there for 23 years.

That all changed in October 2004, when Grand Master Young Bo Kong asked her to open the school in Richland Township.

Cottage quit her job and jumped at the opportunity.

"It's a privilege to share what I know, what I've learned," she said.

"I saw the ability and I saw the potential leadership," Grand Master Kong said. "Dee was the perfect choice.

"This is not work to her. It's her passion, her way of life. She teaches 12 or 13 hours a day and doesn't feel like she's working. She enjoys every minute of it."

Grand Master Kong is a two-time world champion and ninth-degree black belt - one of a select few in the world - and opened the first Young Brothers Tae Kwon-Do in the North Hills in 1972. There are now nine Young Brothers schools in the Pittsburgh area.

Other locations include Bellevue, Robinson Township, Cranberry Township, Butler, Fox Chapel, Indiana, Mercer and Richland Township. Cottage originally was a student at the Butler school.

"My son, Brad, was 7 and wanted to try Tae Kwon-Do," Cottage said. "He was into the Ninja Turtles and I'm sure that helped pique his interest.

"I'm the one who took him to his first lesson. Right away, I wanted to do it, too."

Cottage has been involved in Tae Kwon-Do for 10 years and is a fourth-degree black belt. Brad, now 17, has also been in the sport for 10 years.

Cottage's husband, Dale, and daughter, Emily, 14, have been involved in Tae Kwon-Do for nine years. All three are third-degree black belts and all three teach at the Richland Township school.

Cottage said most people starting Tae Kwon-Do can attain a black belt within three or four years.

"Some people stop at that point, but you never stop learning in this sport," Cottage said. "It's fascinating. It's strengthened my family physically and emotionally."

Brad Cottage plays baseball and his sister is involved in cheerleading.

"Tae Kwon-Do has helped my son's hand-eye coordination and it's helped give my daughter the confidence to perform cheers in front of large crowds," Cottage said.

"We get a lot of families getting involved in Tae Kwon-Do together. It's a sport a family can participate in and enjoy together.

"If a parent drops a son or daughter off at soccer or Little League practice, all you can do is watch. Here, everyone can do it and learn together," she added.

When Cottage opened the school in October, she had two students come with her from the Butler school because the new location was more convenient for them. She had no other students.

Cottage now has 67 students at her school, ranging in age from 3 to over 50. Young Brothers has about 1,600 students throughout its nine schools.

"The fact she already has 67 students is a testament to her energy and belief in what she does," Grand Master Kong said. "Her potential there is unlimited."

Cottage is one of only two female master instructors in the Young Brothers system. The other is Brianne Melozzi, master instructor at the Fox Chapel school.

"Leadership skills exist in men and women," Grand Master Kong said. "Equal opportunity has to be there. These women are driven to do this as well, if not better, than a man, and that's wonderful."

No female student at Young Brothers has ever attained a fifth-degree black belt. Cottage has that goal, though it may take her 10 years or more to attain it.

"Each degree you go, the training is more intense, the skill level is that much higher," she said. "You compete within yourself. Really, there is no limit if you're dedicated."