Focus, Discipline,and Respect

I was against Karate for HistoryBoy when it was first suggested to me. Why am I going to teach martial arts to a kid who grabs others kids to get their attention or hits then when they ignore him. It seemed a recipe for disaster. But we have a summer rec program here in our town and I signed HistoryBoy up for the Karate class to see what it was like. Oh my God! I wanted to wrap the man up and take him home with me. My son sat when he was supposed to sit, stood when he was told. I took HistoryBoy to this man's karate school the next week for a demo class, and watched the same thing happen in class. I signed him up then and there for classes. I watched HistoryBoy respond to him. It was amazing. HistoryBoy was FOCUSed. They train them to RESPECT themselves and others. They teach self-DISIPLINE and restraint. Even when he has gotten picked on. He has never used his karate on anyone except to defend himself when attacked. I have watched his self confidence grow through it. I realize that it is not for every child. But I think each child, especially an autistic child needs an outlet of some sort. He learns at his own speed, he is not punished for not learning it as fast as anyone else in the course. They are awesome with him. Now he has been in karate for 4 years. He hopes to go for his black belt in December, if he can keep himself focused and memorize on the katas and combinations. He can do anything he puts his mind to.

I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave a comment or email me at teenahope@gmail.com