Karate

Not sure where this came from, but for MONTHS, Meredith has asked me "Mommy, when do I get to start Karate?" It is a question like "When are we having dinner?" or "When are we taking a bath?" It seems like she was under the impression that you just take Karate. And I have no idea why. Neither of us (or really anyone we know) has ever done Karate. I kept trying to ignore it, but she was kind of fixated, so we decided to try to figure out a way for her to give it a shot. We found a guy that teaches at the same place we take swimming lessons, which is really close to our house. He offers a free week of lessons, so we decided to try him out.

We showed up on the first of three lessons we were taking and there were a couple of boys in their full get-up and were several years older and then two 13 year old boys came in to try out the class. Meredith was working HARD! Even the stretching was a big challenge and they ran lines and everything. The second we walked out, she declared that she didn't like it. I didn't blame her - it was intense! The teacher was awesome with her, but it was still a lot to learn in one sitting.

Stretching
Working on kicks

I convinced her to go again on Friday. She was the only one there, which was good, but she also seemed even more overwhelmed. I volunteered to do it with her to hopefully help her. It was fun but I was exhausted afterward! I can't even imagine how she was doing it! The next class was on Saturday, and although we had decided that this probably wasn't the best class for her right now, Neal wanted to see it and she was excited to show him. So we went back. This time there were 2 guys in probably their 20s and two boys that had on serious gear. Oh, and Meredith. Again, the teacher was great - really working with her individually while he had the other boys working on skills. But then he also had her doing things like push ups and sit ups. Neal and I were doubled over laughing at one point because having our 4 year old doing push-ups seemed so WEIRD! Again, this guy seems like he is a great teacher for someone older or more serious - and if Meredith's path takes her to either of those one day in Karate, I would definitely look into him again. Until then, I am on the hunt for a pre K Karate class that might be a little less intimidating for her!

I wish this picture was not so dark so you could see her classmates better, but trust me!