I love writing karate posts about my little boy, and today is one of those mornings when I get to do just that. Last night, he received his Kid Tiger blue belt. The entire way to his karate graduation he grumbled in the car and was in a pretty foul mood. When it became his turn to break his boards in front of all of the parents though, he suddenly perked up. Last night was the first time he had to break two boards…not separately, but stacked on top of each other. He did it with such ease, and I know he was really proud of that moment. Breaking the boards, the kind words the karate instructor said to him, and his blue belt are all of the best motivators for my little guy.
There is one more motivator…one that the karate studio is not involved in. After my son received his yellow belt, we gave him a belt display for the wall in his bedroom. Last night we added his now retired purple belt to the belt display, and he noticed that there is only one more spot left for an additional belt. ”We’ll just have to buy a new belt display when you get your next belt, ” I told him. I know he listened to that conversation closely and that he has his sights set on completing the current belt display. Here is a picture of “Just one more to go!”
We all need motivators in life, and karate has definitely been the one constant force for my son that has set strong goals for him. Sometimes he gets frustrated, but with every achievement, he continues forward. It is nice to watch and motivating for me to follow in his footsteps in areas in my own adult life.
In honor of his blue belt, my song of the day is Elvis’s “Blue Suede Shoes.” Turning to the King of Rock and Roll seemed appropriate for this topic, so click HERE to hear the song and to help me celebrate my little guy. Way to go, baby! You motivate all of us!
