One of my friends asked "Why do you pay so much money and spend so much time running around for your child to do Martial Arts ?" Well I have a confession to make: I don't pay for my child's martial arts lessons. Or their boxing gloves, sparring gear & uniforms. Or the gradings.
So, if I am not paying for martial arts, what am I paying for?
- I pay for those moments when my kids become so tired they feel like quitting but don't..
- I pay for the opportunity that they can have and will have to make life-long friendships.
- I pay for the chance that they may have amazing instructors that will teach them that martial arts is not just about movement but about life.
- I pay for my kids to learn to be disciplined.
- I pay for my kids to learn to take care of their body.
- I pay for my kids to learn to work with others and to be a proud , supportive, kind and respectful team member.
- I pay for them to learn to deal with disappointment, when they don't get that stripe they hoped for, or fell during a move they practiced a thousand times, but still get up and are determined to do their BEST next time...
- I pay for them to learn to make and accomplish goals.
- I pay for them to learn that it takes hours and hours and hours and hours of hard work and practice to create a black belt or a champion, and that success does not happen overnight.
- I pay so that my children can be on the mats instead of in front of a screen...
I could go on but, to be short, I don't pay for martial arts; I pay for the opportunities that martial arts provides my child to develop attributes that will serve them well throughout their life and give them the opportunity to bless the lives of others.
From what I have seen for many, many years, I think it is a great investment!