No Karate

When Andra was in first grade, they offered karate at her school.  She wanted to go, and so we signed her up.  She loved the first day, and after that she developed a slow growing hatred of what Levi once called “Kry ate”.  Kryate indeed.  Every morning she would wake up and the first thing she would ask was “Is today Karate?” with fear and dread.  She would forget her uniform, then have to do push ups.  She would forget to go and they would retrieve her.  She said she didn’t want to sign up for the second session, so when they called to collect their payment I was surprised – she had continued to go because she was afraid Sensei would be mad if she quit.  So then I made her go, because I had to pay for it.  It was not a good time.

When we signed up for classes this summer, Grace picked Yoga.  But no one else did – go figure, what 6 year old doesn’t want to take Yoga? (All of them apparently).  So she picked Taekwondo as a substitute.  Turns out, she hates it.  She has been “sick” every morning this week, intentionally trying to leave behind her belt, and then acting like I am handing her a snake when I force it upon her.  I have been walking her all the way in so she has to go.  She went so far as to throw up this morning a little, standing in the parking lot, and I SWEAR I know this makes me the worst mother on the face of the planet, but based on additional evidence, I really think she did it intentionally.  Of course at that point I had to give her a by (and myself a nomination into the mother of year hall of fame).

Maybe we have some kind of genetic allergy to the martial arts.  Looks like this week is turning out to be a good week to learn what not to do.  And I suppose I am proving that what I should do is sign up for quality parenting classes, obvioulsy, I need some help at it. 

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