On independence for children…
“No Bird Soars Too High If He Soars With His Own Wings” – William Blake
What a great quote…
I see this quote as our job as karate / martial arts instructors at KarateBuilt Martial Arts to develop independence. It kind of sums up what we do as parents as well. That is, I need to kind of finish my “work” as a parent when my son is 18 with a human that can “soar with his own wings“.
It’s not done often…
Unfortunately, I see many very well meaning parents trying to help their kids be independent by having them “choose”- i.e. “make choices” too early. What I mean by that is kids need to have a gentle push from parents through difficult challenges so they LEARN that they can accomplish a LOT. THEN (when they are adults, not before) they will make strong and difficult choices because they have built the confidence and skills (the metaphorical WINGS from the graphic) to believe and truly accomplish a lot.
Challenge to us as parents…
Truly it’s harder to make these choices for our kids. They (especially as teenagers – my son is 16 now) want to brush our opinions aside and fight for independence. It’s always the TOUGHEST choices that we have to make that will give them the best results in the end. That will give them the “wings” to “soar on their own”.
Sincerely,
Sr. Master Greg Moody, Ph.D.
KarateBuilt.com and KarateBuilt Martial Arts have been selected the nation’s #1 martial arts schools for EIGHT YEARS IN A ROW!
Founded in 1995 by Dr. Greg Moody a 7th degree Black Belt and Sr. Master Instructor, KarateBuilt Martial Arts and Karate lessons for pre-school children ages 3-6 and elementary age kids ages 7 and up are designed to develop the critical building blocks kids need – specialized for their age group – for school excellence and later success in life.
KarateBuilt Martial Arts Adult Karate training is a complete adult fitness and conditioning program for adults who want to lose weight, get (and stay in shape) or learn self-defense in a supportive environment.
Instructors can answer questions or be contacted 24 hours or the day, 7 days a week at Karate@KarateBuilt.com or call directly at 866-311-1032 for one of our nationwide locations. You can also visit our website at KarateBuilt.com.
About Dr. Greg Moody: Greg is a seventh degree black belt and senior master instructor. He has a Ph.D. in Special Education from Arizona State University (along with a Master’s Degree in Counseling and a Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering – he actually is a rocket scientist). He has been teaching martial arts for over 25 years and has owned eight martial arts schools in Arizona and California. Sr. Master Moody is a motivational speaker and educator and teaches seminars in bullying, business, and martial arts training, around the world.
The KarateBuilt Martial Arts Headquarters is in Cave Creek, Arizona at 29850 N. Tatum Blvd., Suite 105, Cave Creek AZ 85331. You can locate the Chief Instructor, Master Laura Sanborn there directly at (480) 575-8171.