As a parent of four children I have learned how important it is to develop confidence in kids. Confidence effects everything we do. I often see people who are actually really smart and talented not achieve their goals because their lack of confidence holds them back. Looking back over my lifetime I can think of instances where that was certainly true in my life. Over the past 24 years of parenting I’ve learned some things. One of the things I’ve learned is just because I tell my kids they are great doesn’t mean they will believe it or embrace it. After a while kids just start to feel like “of course my parents think I’m great, they have to, they’re my parents.” And when the other kids at school don’t share that same opinion our kids self-esteem can get deflated rather quickly.
For confidence to stick it has to feel real and has to be earned through achievement. When our kids accomplish real goals they start to feel good about their achievement and consequently good about themselves and their abilities. What I like about the martial arts is the whole system is set up to achieve goals like your next belt. I remember as a teenager how great it felt to earn my White belt! And then when I earned my Gold belt it felt even more important! And every belt higher increased my sense of achievement and I saw my confidence grow. And of course earning the Black Belt was the most amazing feeling I had experienced in my entire life and the confidence that gave me changed the trajectory of my life. Conversely, I believe if I would have quit before Black Belt it would have effected my future in a negative way.
So, all that to say, I think your children have a real opportunity to gain confidence through achievement by earning a Black Belt in our program! Aside from confidence, here are some other reasons I would like to encourage you to support your child in finishing the race and earning a Black Belt…
Competitive World. We live in a competitive society. As parents, our job is to equip our children with the life skills it will take to be able to survive in our competitive schools and market place. Our children will need self-discipline, confidence and perseverance to make it. They will need to understand how to set goals and how to work hard toward achievement. I cannot think of any better training for these life skills than getting a National Karate Black Belt!!!
Safety. We live in a dangerous world and we need to equip our children with the skills necessary to protect themselves. For instance I feel it is critical that my children learn to swim so they can 
protect themselves if they ever fall in water. How bad would I feel if my child fell in a lake and drown because they did not know how to swim. While teaching them to swim does not guarantee they will never drown, at least we have done all we can do to prevent an accidental drowning. The same goes for self-defense. They need to learn to defend themselves so when they go off to college and are not under my protection they will be able save themselves. Again, while being a black belt will not guarantee their safety, at least we did all that we can do to give them the skills to protect themselves.
Investment. As you can tell, getting a National Karate Black Belt is more than just learning another “activity”. Getting a Black Belt is about 
preparing and protecting our children for the road ahead. It’s an investment in their future! How much is that investment worth? I believe it is priceless. It is certainly worth the effort to encourage our children to persevere and achieve a Black Belt.
Parent Support. It’s rare for a child or youth student to get a Black Belt without their parents full support and encouragement. The kids who have parents who drop their child off and never come watch a karate class usually run out of gas before they get a Black Belt. Getting a Black Belt is too hard for children to do on their own. They need support and encouragement to achieve great things. Don’t set you child up for failure by not giving them the support and encouragement they need. I know you’re busy, but make it a goal to come to at least one of their classes per week to see how they are doing and chat with their instructor.
Our Part. And for our part I can guarantee that all of our instructors and staff will do what ever they can to make karate class fun, help motivate our students, teach with energy and passion and to assist our families in achieving greatness! Bring them to class and we will do the rest!
Cristian Nelson
8th Degree Master
