Karate - awesome, but short-lived

Dezi started Karate as part of his birthday present. He caught on very quickly and learned the moves as well as some kids who had been in the program for longer. He chose the Bobby Lawrance Karate because he loved that they said, "AYA!" when doing their kicks and hits. We looked at a different program at our gym, but it was mixed age and wasn't catered to young kids, like this Little Ninja program. He had a lot of fun wearing his outfit and practicing his moves. In the beginning, it was a great motivation tool for obedience because the three rules are 1)No Fighting 2)Obey Your Parents and 3)Keep your room clean. If he didn't want to obey, I'd remind him of karate and he would do it. It was fantastic! The no fighting was a little trickier as time went on. In some ways, it seemed like he was wanting to practice his new skills a little too much in the heat of the moment with Cai. Still, if I reminded him, he would correct himself.

One of the unexpected perks of going was that Dezi made friends with André, a Brazilian in the class. It has been fun to do things with them and some other Brazilians in the area. It turns out we go to the same gym and are trying to figure out how they can be in the same swim class.

So, Karate. He loved it and I did too, but the price was not so lovable. We signed up for a 10-week promo deal and didn't sign a regular contract at the end of it. I gave him the choice to continue or to take swimming, basketball and break dancing for the same price. He chose three activities over the one. He already started basketball with Ryan on Saturdays, which he is loving, and swimming and break dancing should start after the holiday madness passes.