09/14/2026
The FIRST martial arts class -by Mom
The first time I watched my son do martial arts, I was prepared to be impressed.
I had seen the videos.
Kids standing in perfect lines. Serious faces. Powerful kicks. Fast punches. The instructor yelling commands while everyone moved like a tiny army.
I thought, This is going to be amazing.
My son walked onto the mat.
He looked at the other kids.
Then he looked at the instructor.
Then he looked at me.
I gave him a thumbs-up.
He gave me one back.
That was our entire communication system for the next hour.
The instructor started with a warm-up.
“Jumping Jacks…GO !”
All the kids started jumping, and some did jumping jacks correctly..
My son jumped up and down for about four seconds before he noticed another kid jumping in the opposite direction.
He stopped.
The other kid stopped.
They stared at each other.
My son waved.
Little Martial Arts
I slowly lowered my head.
The instructor yelled, “Keep moving!”
My son took off again.
Then came the punches.
The instructor held up a padded target.
“Punch!”
WHACK.
My son’s eyes got huge.
He looked over at me.
I gave him a thumbs-up.
He grinned.
He punched again.
WHACK.
Another thumbs-up from Mom.
At this point, I realized I had accidentally become his personal sports commentator, except my entire vocabulary consisted of one gesture. That one gesture seemed to be all he needed!!
Then came the kicks.
The instructor demonstrated a perfect front kick.
Every kid tried to copy him.
My son lifted his leg.
Kicked.
Lost his balance.
His arms started spinning like helicopter blades.
Somehow, he recovered.
I gave him a thumbs-up.
He nodded proudly.
Then he tried it again.
This time he fell over.
He popped back up like nothing had happened.
Another thumbs-up.
He was beginning to understand the system.
If he did something impressive, thumbs-up.
If he fell down, thumbs-up.
If he accidentally kicked the air six feet away from the target, thumbs-up.
If he stood there looking completely confused while everyone else practiced, you guessed it.
Thumbs-up.
By the end of class, the kids were sweaty and exhausted.
My son looked like he had just returned from battle.
His hair was soaked. His uniform was crooked. His white belt was hanging sideways.
He looked exhausted.
And incredibly proud.
The instructor lined everyone up.
The kids bowed.
My son bowed.
Then he looked toward me.
I gave him one final thumbs-up.
He smiled.
And in that moment, I realized something.
He hadn’t become a martial arts master.
He hadn’t mastered the kicks.
He hadn’t mastered the punches.
He hadn’t even mastered standing up without falling over.
But he had something far more important.
Confidence and an attitude of YES I CAN! I needed this for him. I now see that his future may well depend on how he develops these two concepts. Not what I was expecting but what a first class for both of us!
And apparently, I am mother who was prepared to give him a thumbs-up through absolutely anything. He saw it as strength and I saw it as I had no idea what else to do. Again, what a first class of growing together!
-by Mom
