Tae Kwon Do

Oliver started tae kwon do a couple weeks ago.  We tried a few different "sports" lessons with him in the past, but nothing really stuck and it has always been a struggle to get him to participate.  So we decided not to push for the moment and wait to see if he took an interest in anything. 

It has been a less than perfect transition to Kindergarten.  I did not expect at such a young age that Oliver would already be picked on by the other kids for his size.  The structure, long day, and homework in Kindergarten has also been a challenge for Oliver.  So we started thinking about ways to boost his confidence outside of school.  Joe and I both thought that a martial art might be good for him, but we were not sure if he would be interested.  I knew the instructor would be critical.  After some research, I found a teacher that sounded perfect.  I was so nervous about bringing him the first time because when Oliver does not want to participate, it is hopeless.  And I really wanted him to give it a try.

On our first visit, Master Coles shook his head at me and said, he is too small, I just don't think this is going to work.  I assured him that Oliver is in fact 5 and asked him to give him a chance.  Oliver did well and took to Master Coles immediately.  Although, Master Coles was surprised at how well Oliver followed instruction and learned quickly, he was still concerned about his size and strength.  He offered to give Oliver private lessons twice a week to see if he could help him get some basic skills before joining the group class.  So for the past couple weeks we have been going for private lessons, just Oliver and Master Coles before the doors to the regular classes open.  The teacher declined to let me pay for the lessons and Oliver has been an attentive student.

Today, when the group class started to arrive, Master Coles asked Oliver to stay on the mat and join the class.  I was so proud of him.  Even though he is the smallest and is still gaining strength, he is learning, he is trying and he is paying attention.  He participates in a way we have not seen him do for any other activity.  I give a huge amount of credit to the teacher.  We are going to continue with one private lesson a week, but Oliver is going to start joining the group class every Friday now.

We left the group class today and I told Oliver I was proud of him.  He responded, "Mom, I am proud of myself."