It's Tae Kwon Do Time!

We've been waiting for a long time, and it's finally here: Olympic Tae Kwon Do is available online. Last fall, we started Ian in classes at a local Tae Kwon Do school. The structure, the challenge, the exercise, and the character training have all bee very good for him. Check him out at his first belt test.  His instructor, Cathy Chapaty, has a special place in her heart for attention challenged kids and has taken a special interest in Ian. I had never seen Ian so proud as he was after that first test. Even the video rocks: catch the wink!

Most recently there was the orange belt test. He broke his board on the first try after overcoming some major heebie-jeebies.

I have tried to encourage him as much as possible in this pursuit, since it has been so good for him. In fact, his instructor offered to give me and another dad private lessons in exchange for substitute teaching in the fall semester. To me, this was a no-brainer. I've always had a repressed desire to learn a martial art, and rather than just live it vicariously through my son, I can jump in and join him in it.

Last Monday was my first class, and I'm sore from the workout, but excited about the new connection that I'm building with my son. Our hope is that this will be another consistent and positive way to have fun and grow together.