New blue belt in the family

Kieran's loving his martial arts class. The style of martial arts he is learning combines Tae Kwon Do with other Asian martial arts traditions.

This week he had his first belt testing--he started out with a white belt and now has a white belt with a blue stripe through it. I'm impressed with how far he has come in such a short time. It is teaching him patience, respect, and self-control. To test for the next level of belt, the kids must get a note from their teacher and their parents, vouching for their behavior at school and home.

We had him in fencing last year, and he soon got bored of it. I'm convinced the difference is the teachers. His martial arts teachers are outstanding--they have excellent control of the class, are encouraging, and make it fun for all the kids. They encouraged the kids to dress up for Halloween, and they did as well:

I love that they say this pledge: "I will grow up to be the best person I can be. I will stay away from things that hurt my body and my mind." They discuss what this means, and they also address their teachers as "sir" and "ma'am"!

Here are a few short videos of his testing:

And being presented with his new blue belt--he claims he will continue until he gets his (solid) black belt!:

Final pose with his instructors