Life on the West Coast: Tae-kwon-do

Jaymi tried out a trial month of Tae-kwon-do in August.

It was a free trial that we won at a fair, and we thought it might be a fun thing for her to try, as well as good for her.

She reeeeallly wanted to sign up for it, when the trial month was finished.

She was so excited about it, and there are so many benefits to her being in these classes, so we decided to sign her up.

She has excelled incredibly, in Tae-kwon-do since. And she still loves it - wants to go to as many classes as she can fit in.

She began regular classes in September. Of course, everyone begins as a white belt.

She is now a yellow belt, and is ready to test for her orange belt, when the next belt test is scheduled.

We have seen a ton of good influence that Tae-kwon-do has had on her:

- balance

- co-ordination

- physical exercise

- pushing herself further (physically) than she is used to

- respect

- confidence

- strength

- self-discipline

- responsibility

- patience

- happiness

She is so motivated to get to each belt, and eventually strives to be a black belt.

She has gone from an extremely shy little girl who, at the beginning, needed one of the instructors to come over and accompany her to the group, sticking with her to encourage her, to.....a little girl who is ready to go each class, jumping up instantly when they are called, and running to get in her place.

She has learned to set goals and make action plans, take responsibility at home, act respectfully at home & school, and she has learned that when she is in a bad mood or has a bad day, Tae-kwon-do ALWAYS turns that mood around.

She told me one day, while we were in the car on our way to a class, "Mommy, when we're going to Tae-kwon-do, I get a neat feeling in my stomach - like an excited feeling.".

She has also learned self-defense, which is fantastic. She knows how to get out of a number of positions, which she LOVES to practice with Mark and myself. And she is FAST at it, too!