“Mo-ooom, I don’t want to go to Martial Arts today!” Many parents have heard this from their child before. Maybe it is even a daily struggle to get them to go to and participate in class. I began training at a very young age, and I have made this same plea to my own parents in the past. And I am extremely thankful that they chose to ignore my whines and complaints and took me to class anyway, because every single time, once I got to class, I loved every minute of it. I think it is safe to say that your child is experiencing many of the same feelings, or something similar. I understand, as do my parents, that it would be much, much easier just to give in and allow your child to stay home, or, even worse, drop out entirely! But it is critical to keep in mind just what impact that is having on your children’s future decision-making. This teaches such qualities as “If it gets hard, it is easier just to quit!” or “If you get bored, it’s okay to move on!” These are great qualities to have- unless you want your child to grow up to be a winner.
This “quitter” line of thinking leads to dangerous ends. Consider this, for example: later in life, your child gets their first job, but after just one week, things start to get a little difficult. So what does your child do? Quit their job? It’s not just work, either. As they grow up, the disaster that this thinking can lead to could affect their school, their relationships with family, and even their marriage! Now this may seem like I am blowing the whole thing out of proportion, and maybe I am thinking of the worst-case scenario, but is this really the mentality that you want your child to have? Obviously it is not, or your kid(s) would not be in Martial Arts in the first place! Don’t let your kid give in when things get tough- as I mentioned before, if my parents had let me give up when I wanted to, there is no way I would be where I am at today!
Our January word of the month here at Pride is VISION. The coaches have been talking with the kids all month to instill the quality of picturing your goals-before you even achieve them. However, the coaches cannot do this alone. If you allow your child to give up when things get hard, what vision do you and your child have in mind? Not success in achieving their Black Belt, for sure. Sometimes, like my parents did with me, children need help stay on track with the vision that they truly want to see become a reality.
Every one of the kids at Pride has the resources, ability, and talent to make the journey Black Belt. They have coaches who are willing to get them there. But these advantages are only effective if they are willing to have a “winner” mindset, and if their parents are supporting them every step of the way. To sum this all up into a line you are no doubt familiar with: “Winners never quit. Quitters never win. I CHOOSE to win.
See you on the mat,
Coach Monkey
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