Our Karate Kid

Remember when Riley went to his friend Dominik’s karate birthday party back in December? He was a total pill during the party, but the whole time we were there I was thinking about how good it would be for him to start taking classes. His other friend Matthew started shortly after the party, but Riley refused to do it.

Fast forward to this summer and the 2-class special (plus a uniform!) World Martial Arts is running. I talked with Riley about how Kenny and I wanted him to try it, and he begrudgingly agreed. His very first class was free, and he did okay. He kept looking over at me with a sad expression on his face, but he did give it a good attempt.

  

After class was over, Master Candace sat down with us and explained how everything worked. The students get a sticker after every class to put on a chart. When they reach 15, they get a certificate. When they reach 30, they get another certificate and a t-shirt. And when they reach 45, they get a trophy. Riley locked in on the possibility of a trophy, so we made a deal: he will take classes until he gets his trophy and then he can decide whether or not to continue.

So…..we’ll see how this goes. He didn’t put up too much of a fight before going to his second class, but I know he didn’t want to go. However, he got his uniform at that class, which made him look the part. So darn cute.

Right now Riley goes to class at 6pm on Fridays, which is an awful time. However, I think once he’s been going for a little while, he’ll get to move to twice a week, on Mondays and Wednesdays. That’s when Matthew goes, and I think it would be fun for him to be in the same class as his friend.

 

The kids also get to play a game of dodgeball at the end of every class. Riley got out pretty quickly his first class, but he actually won his second time! I was so proud of him, and he was so excited.

I did provide a small incentive for Riley to go to class each week. He gets to pick a special treat to stop for on our way home. So far we’ve gotten a Frosty and a sprinkle donut.

I truly hope he sticks with this karate adventure. I think he could learn so much about discipline and respect. Plus he gets to do some ninja moves. That’s got to be a plus.