Kids today have too many toys, cell phones, i-pods, laptops, video-games, etc. All of these techno-toys are also costly and distracting. Kid swill sit for hours playing video games or texting their friends, and everything else is just not exciting enough to keep their attention. Unless, of course, they are participating in one (or 5) extra-curricular activites like soccer, t-ball, foreign language, piano, dance, karate, the list goes on!
If we add up the toys and the activities, we are giving our kids a lot of privileges. That in itself is not a bad thing. As parents, we want our kids to have a great life and to give them every advantage and joy we can afford. However, if we do not create a balance between a child’s privileges and their responsibilities, we are not doing them any favors.
As a karate instructor, I have made it part of my mission to teach youth students responsibility through their karate training:
- I make kids take responsibility for their own uniforms and training gear. I expect them to get themselves ready and to know where their gear is at all times. I don’t allow them to blame their parents for forgotten or lost equipment.
- I expect youth students to know what skills they have tested for and which ones are left to learn. Yes, even the 6-year-old children can do it. It is not too much to expect kids to memorize their skill lists. If they can learn the abc’s and memorize their favorite song, they can remember their karate skills. Let’s face it, if they can’t remember the skill then they don’t know it. How else can you teach but by expecting students to take responsibility for their own knowledge!
Without responsibility, there are no privileges. Karate teaches children that their skills are a responsibility that must be earned over time, not a privilege to be handed out to those who want it. That lesson helps kids understand that if they want things, they need to work for them.
