“This house protected by Taekwondo…”

The boys have been taking Taekwondo lessons for  8 months now. They’ve each gone from a white belt to a yellow stripe belt and now to a solid yellow belt. I was so proud when the instructor told me they where ready to test for the next belt after only a couple of months…then I found out that it costs $40 per kid to test. I’m guessing at that price, there’s going to be LOTS of belts coming our way. Yellow with green stripes; ochre with fushia polka dots  – until they reach the elusive rainbow belt for turning their Poomsea into a fabulous dance number.

I’m loving the fact that they’re still enjoying it.  Two times a week for the last 8 months…that’s 32 years in kid-time.

They both know Taekwondo is for self-defense only and never to be used on anyone aggressively. However, I think Zeke found a loophole:

“Zeke, leave your Lego guys on the table and go with Daddy and Nate to the restroom to wash your hands before the waiter brings our food, please.”

“But I don’t want to leave them!”

“You can’t take Lego guys to the bathroom.”

“OK…Mommy, remember all those times you watched us do Taekwondo in class?”

“Yes.”

“Do you remember any of it?”

“Some of it, why?”

“If someone tries to take my guys, I want you to use it on them!”

I’m sure the Lego guys in our house sleep a lot easier knowing yellow-belted Zeke’s got their backs.

 

 

I was hoping to get my “fence painted”…

…so I signed the boys up for Tae Kwon Do. Then I was corrected by my 8 yr old in front of their new instructor,  “No, Mommy…paint the fence was from the Karate Kid!” “Eh, hem…just a joke, Nate – just a joke.”

There are lots of real reasons I wanted the boys to try this. The first being self-defense. When your child is in the 4 percentile for height…you have to plan ahead. Cut the bullies off at the pass. Another reason is self-control. I’ve got one of those throw-yourself-on-the-ground-and-curl up-into-a-hedgehog-ball when I try to get him dressed, put on lotion or squirt medicine into his eyes kind of kid. (OK, eye meds. one is justifiable) So learning how to listen and respond to an adult, is worth whatever money they’re charging.

We did a free trial class to see if Nate liked it and if Zeke would roll up into a ball.  I was pleasantly surprised. The Instructor had Nate speaking Tae Kwon Do (what language IS that?) by the end of the class and somehow had Zeke blocking punches and yelling, “YES SIR!” I wrote the check 15 minutes into the class. Twice a week for an hour I get to watch someone else teach my boys life lessons while I write witty banter on Facebook? I haven’t been this happy since I hired a service to clean my toilets.

Friday was our first paid class and it went even better than the free one. EXCEPT Nate’s uniform came in and Zeke’s didn’t. That required the quick-thinking Mommy spin doctor. “Wow, you’re so lucky Zeke! You get to do one more class in your sweat pants and King Kong shirt! No one else…just YOU!”

Worked like a charm. Besides, somehow my little “rebel black sheep” seems better suited in black:

 

Technically, he WAS doing it “just like the instructor”. Everyone else was facing the wrong way.