If I may, just for a moment, I’d like to tell you how much I understand about the value, to you, of your child. I know, as I’m a parent too. If you’re like me, there’s nothing I won’t consider, even if at first it seems out of my reach, if I think it will benefit my child. As parents we have to (get to) make choices about how we spend our money.
I would like to ask you to look at martial arts classes as a worthwhile investment. Classes from a really good teacher are worth more than a night on the town, worth more than cable TV, and even worth more than, yes, Starbucks (I’m laughing). I know this to be true, as I was a karate kid. The lessons I received as a young person still serve me every day. They’ve kept me out of a lot of trouble. They’ve served me when depression knocked at my door. My teacher had a clear voice in my head when, as a teenager, I could hardly hear anyone else.
My classes are affordable and I work diligently to pass on the confidence, the respect, the leadership skills, and the sense of right and wrong that my teachers gave to me. If you asked me, I would say do without something, a few small things if you have to, but give your child the gift of a year or two of martial arts. Those lessons on the mat come back to serve your child, in the world, for a long, long time.