Saturday, November 12, 2011

I Was Wrong

One upon a time, not so long ago, I had preconceived notions about children participating in martial arts.

For months my boys asked if they could take a class and it never worked out with our extracurricular schedule. R moved on to other interests, but P kept mentioning it. Because he is more of an introvert, I really preferred that he find a team sport to participate in--"to stretch him." We tried lots of things, but he didn't get particularly excited about any of them.

In mid-August I noticed that our local YMCA had Kung Fu classes, so I signed P up for a two week session. I really think I thought it would "get it out of his system." Instead, my P found his "thing." He absolutely loves it.
His confidence, his concentration, his agility and his self control have ALL improved.And today, my kid that had previously been unmotivated by other athletic pursuits...my child who tends to lose focus, get frustrated and fall apart...my son who takes the passive role within his sibling set...Today, my P, with great confidence, poise and skill tested for and received his yellow belt.Both sets of grandparents were on hand as we cheered him on. K & R were sweetly proud of his accomplishment. Tonight he was still beaming as he came downstairs in his pjs with the yellow belt tied over them.
My preconceived notions, hesitations and fears were wrong.

It won't be the last time.

9 comments:

Scotty said...

Proud of u lil buddy. uve alays been a hero of mine

Love Being A Nonny said...

......and aren't you glad you were???? Precious. Made me cry!

Marti said...

He looks happy! "Could we but know the child within"

Mary Lou said...

Yay, for P and Yay for you and most especially Yay for God. You listened and obeyed and all of you were blessed. Thanks for sharing your heart and your family.

Christine said...

I rarely comment but this is such a sweet, precious post. I'm sure it is so hard for you to parent 3 such different children that are the same age, but you do such a great job at helping find their individual needs and skills. Go P!!!! How precious. :-)

Ms. ~K said...

Congrats to P!!!! :)
ROLL TIDE!!!
~K

C R said...

Wonderful! As a former teacher, I have heard martial arts classes improve concentration. I'm so glad to hear that theory validated.

Ali said...

Such a great accomplishment! :) Glad he was celebrated by his whole family!

Okay, on a more shallow note...do you have any Christmas pj suggestions! I like the more traditional look for pajamas especially Christmas pj's! Any tips or suggestions?

As a Mom of three, I always love hearing about your Christmas preparation posts!

~ Ali

Christy Murphy said...

The last photo is just precious! Love it!