If you've read the blog for a while, you know that the martial arts is a family affair in my house.
Elder Daughter was the first one to start training, way back in the day, as a little kid in taekwondo. Mr. Chick and I soon followed, and then eventually, Younger Daughter was born (my kids are 9 years apart in age) and she, too, followed our path into the martial arts in taekwondo with a little bit of Arnis, too.
Back in the day, my Older Daughter sat on the black belt board for my Younger Daughter's very first belt test, and lemme tell you, Mr. Chick and I totally didn't lose it with pride and tears on that day.
Older Daughter is on a training break while she's in college, but she's said she plans to return to the mats soon, maybe to try a new style. We're thrilled she still has interest in training.
Since we moved to Kansas City, we've tried a couple of schools here for Younger Daughter. Due to scheduling conflicts and whatnot, it was hard to find a fit, and she's been in several different styles/systems.
So you see, before I was this Presas Arnis and Kobudo blogging BADASS you all know and love, I was (and still am) one of those parents sitting on the sidelines watching the kids do their basics and one-steps and forms practice night after night after night, dragging the kid to tournaments and consoling them when they didn't win, and searching for that damn mouth guard that fell out of her bag again.
I was a martial arts mom first.
During my child's class, I look like just another parent on the sidelines, fiddling with my phone and watching the kids do their thing. I like to think I'm better than most parents because I do not interrupt or coach from the sidelines, ever - I leave dealing with my kidlet to the instructors and I keep my mouth shut while they're training.
As for the style and the school, I made the choices I did for my own kids for all the same reasons other martial arts parents do.
First was location, schedule, and cost - the MOST important part of deciding where to train kids. These apply to me as much as anyone else, and is the #1 consideration for a child in martial arts.
As a martial arts parent, here's what I look for outside of those main criteria:
Martial arts fundamentals - learning to move like a martial artist, developing a martial arts brain.
Calisthenics and exercise
Discipline and focus
Learning how to follow and learning how to lead
One other huge factor - is kidlet having fun? That's important too, y'all.
When she's training, I'm back in "did you practice your forms today?" mode, like I was for all those years with Older Daughter. All those Korean forms (Chung ji! Do San! Hwa Rang!) I've sat and watched for years and years are all back in my life. Asking her if she needs one of us to feed her for one-steps practice. Yelling at her to HANG UP THAT UNIFORM!
Ahh, it's nice to be a martial arts mom again.
Are you a martial arts parent as well as a martial artist yourself? What are the pros and cons? How successful are you at keeping your mouth shut on the sidelines? Did you choose a different art for your kid than what you do, or do you all train the same thing? Let us know in the comments!