Taekwondo teaches kids respect, instills pride
I didn’t know much about taekwondo, but I kept hearing the same rave review from other parents: “It’s so good for teaching them respect.”
Sold! I mean, who doesn’t want respectful kids?
We signed up our son last year, when he started Grade 1, and we all liked it so much that our daughter joined him this fall. We aren’t a sporty family, so taekwondo has been the perfect combination of physical activity and teamwork.
From the power of coloured duct tape to synchronized bowing in the middle of a basketball game, there are a few things you may not have known about taekwondo …
1. It really is all about respect.
Whenever an instructor enters the gymnasium (dojang), every student needs to stop whatever they’re doing and bow in unison. Now, this might not sound that impressive if you think about them already being fairly quiet and working on their moves. But the instructors are entering the dojang before class starts, during the “free time” when the kids are running around playing basketball and scooting on PlasmaCars. It’s pretty neat to see dozens of kids look up suddenly, bow and then get back to their game of tag.
Continue reading in my weekly parenting column, The Mom Scene …
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Heather's Handmade Life 