The Yellow Belt Milestone
We’ve got a yellow belt kiddo!
When we were back in Chicago, Ishu mentioned wanting to sign up for a karate camp or something like it. Nani accepted the assignment and found him some private lessons with Sensei Jared.
At first, I was a little skeptical.
Karate seems like something that would be better with a group.
I figured he’d be more engaged if there were other kids around – learning the blocks, following the instructions together.
Honestly, I was bracing myself for a lot of whining in the car ride over there each day.
But that just never happened.
Because even though it wasn’t a group activity, it was something he chose for himself. And I think he really liked the instructor.
This morning, we went to the park to hit some balls against the racquetball wall. In between swings, he asked me to help him practice his blocks for his big test today. Fast forward a few hours and he passed with flying colors. Well, one color: YELLOW.
He’s absolutely thrilled with his new belt. And I had so much fun watching him learn and grow with something he clearly enjoyed.
We’ll see if he continues down the karate journey. No matter what he ends up doing, it’s such a joy to watch him dive in with so much excitement (because it’s something HE chose for himself).
Anyway, time to tuck in our little yellow belted kid. He’s pretty wiped from a day of tennis and karate and swim (and art. Obviously. Always art).
Have a good one!
Congratulations, Ishaan! This post really took me back to a very different karate experience. Like Ishaan, my son chose the activity, and really. enjoyed it after he got his yellow belt. When he had a white belt, he was standing behind the kiddos with yellow belts, but once he got that yellow belt he had to move to the front of the room. I noticed that he kept making excuses to take breaks for a drink of water, trip to the bathroom, etc. – when it was time to try a new move. Bottom line, he didn’t want to have too much attention focused his way. So long as he was at the back of the room, he had the confidence to try new things in a group. He dropped out of karate soon after getting that yellow belt. As he grew older, the strategy of observing and trying things at a distance until he was confident that he could succeed repeated again and again, and it didn’t seem to hold him back, but I think his awareness of all those other (mostly male) peers when he was only 5 or 6 was too much for him. So private lessons sounds like a great gift!