taekwando

james has been begging to be in karate since he could walk and talk. i've always been reluctant to say yes for so many reasons: he's too young, it will make an already physically aggressive kid more so, it's too much for our schedules, it's expensive, etc etc etc. but we finally gave it a try, and we have learned a few things.

first, we learned that james is totally amazing. he is a good listener, easy to instruct and full of respect. he can control his body, sit still, and behave so very well in the taekwando classroom. he is motivated to learn and do well, which spills over into other parts of life. he has been hitting and punching at home WAY less because they made him promise to use his new skills only in class or for self defense. i am shocked--like, literally, AGOG--at how good this has been for him and us. i'll keep paying that fee and squeezing this into our tight schedules. that boy glows.

listening attentively down at the do jo:

twice he's won an award for "outstanding student." i mean, obviously, because look what he does when his teacher asks him to sit down.

and here is our tiny guy kicking through a piece of wood. it happened on his 7th try, and the board is pretty thin, but man! the pride and sense of accomplishment for working hard at a goal is all there.


his prize!


and this has nothing to do with taekwando, but it is about james. i discovered the cause of all the sticky little upside-down kid foot prints on the glass door.