signing kids up for activities - karate

I think when they are young you have to try some different things based on there personality and talents to see where they fit. Martial arts is very good at teaching discipline. The problem comes in when they love all of everything as my son does. He is naturally athletically inclined. So we started out with T-Ball, then the next season he wanted to try football, and then basketball. He loves all of them, and plays all 3 sports. He is only 9 and I wish he would drop one or two of them but I don't see that in the near future. He also does martial arts. Needless to say I am always busy running him around to practice and games. Lucky for me he is the only child because I don't know how I would manage otherwise. Most of the extra activities are expensive but they do so much to develop talent, discipline, ethics, self esteem etc. So in the long run its a small price to pay.

My 15 year old daughter started out with gymnastics and then dropped that for Taekwondo. She has been in Taekwondo for several years and loves it. They want her to try for her Black Belt before the end of the year but she is not sure she is ready because soccer has taken time away from Taekwondo. She started indoor soccer a couple of years ago and is hooked on it as well. Between the two sports it is expensive but she is active and learning discipline, good sportsmanship, being a team player, and other things. She tried house league basketball this past winter as she loved basketball from playing on her school team in elementary school. But the disorganization of the town house league caused her to lose interest, especially since her interest and skills in soccer have picked up. So those are the two sports she is doing. She has tried a few things and has found two that she likes. My younger daughter also took gymnastics, dropped that and tried bowling for one year, and then started with indoor soccer. She started soccer before her older sister. She also tried the house league basketball this past winter. They both take up every sport offered at school. At school it doesn't cost anything and they get exposure to all sorts of sports. A couple of months ago I was saying that I can't afford (financially) to put my kids in rep soccer but that I also cannot afford NOT to... for their own benefits I must put them into this sport that they love, that they are good at, that they are passionate about. Who am I to deny them that? It is good for them physically and psychologically and they meet new people, learn discipline and how to work as a team. I think it is good for kids to try different sports and activities until they find something they like. There is no point in having them participate in something they DON'T enjoy. I wish these options were available for me when I was a kid.

Children have their own interests and they may choose to change activities or they may excel at and enjoy Karate. It is never too expensive to teach your children skills with which to defend themselves in this world. It gives them confidence and teaches balance and a certain code of behavior and ethics. These are good tools for children to have also. Plus it uses up some of that energy that have by the bundle!