I had posted on here a couple of months back asking opinions about Tae Kwon Do.
After several replies, and having my son do a trial class (and him throughly enjoying it) I decided to enroll him in the class.
We belong to Bally's and several of the Bally's in the Milwaukee area offer Tae Kwon Do & Hapkido lessons. So I took the 2 year contract with unlimited access so that I can take him to the class on any day his beginner class has a time slot depending on my schedule.
I HIGHLY recommend enrolling your child. My son has lots and lots of energy and has a hard time focusing. He also had a habit of tripping alot over his own two feet.
He was enrolled in tae kwon do right before the end of the school year and I am very glad we did. His focus is slowly starting to get better, he doesn't have as much homework now after school this year than he did last year. He is behaving much better in class at school, AND he no longer trips over his feet all the time.
I really enjoy how this place holds the children accountable for the actions in class and outside of class. He has a binder with all the things that they are teaching him, plus examples of courage, humilty, etc. Also in this binder is a check list the children have to do that include homework, laying out their own clothes, being respectful to everyone, picking up after oneself, etc. If a child is misbehaving at home the teachers will reduce the students rank or take away their belt.
Tae Kwon Do is a self-defense art, so I feel completely comfortable having him learn this type of martial arts.
In fact he had his first belt level test on 9/22 and he passed 
He is now a yellow belt and I am SO proud.
I also got a trophy for "Most Supportive Family", I am the one that takes my son to the class the most and I am the one that usually practices with him when he needs help. It felt good being recognized/thanked for my hard work. (Hubby takes my son when he can, but since he went back to school Monday's and Wednesday's it doesn't happen right now, unless he takes him to a Saturday class)
Glad hear it is going well for your son. It is also a great confidence booster. My DN had low confidence and very bad attention span (VERY bad home life now being corrected). They learn so much in these classes. Tell him great job on the yellow
Oh yeah, great job to you to mom for your trophy 
Thanks for posting this, m0use....I happen to have been wondering about this for my son the past few days. What age is your son? Mine is 8....also very hyper and has trouble focusing his brilliant little mind 
Do you think this is a good age for him to start? My other possibility is swimming....but with his chronic sinus infections, I'm petrified of having him wet in the colder months.
Thanks for posting this, m0use....I happen to have been wondering about this for my son the past few days. What age is your son? Mine is 8....also very hyper and has trouble focusing his brilliant little mind
Do you think this is a good age for him to start? My other possibility is swimming....but with his chronic sinus infections, I'm petrified of having him wet in the colder months.
I think this is a perfect age for your son. There are kids in the class that are 7 years old and they are almost black belts 
Most places should allow you 1 to 2 trial classes to make sure you and your child are comfortable with it.
My son knew the one instructor already (who is no longer there, he moved to Korea to learn more stuff) but he still enjoyed his master so I saw no need to switch.
I'm just purchased a learn to speak korean book for kids for my son to learn since they have to learn to count in Korean and say several other words in Korean, so it will help him alot.
My son is also in drum lessons one day a week, and he also enjoys doing that. The music lessons will help with the math skills, and drumming is a good way to burn energy!
My son is also in drum lessons one day a week, and he also enjoys doing that. The music lessons will help with the math skills, and drumming is a good way to burn energy!
I don't think I can stand hearing the drum!!! 
He does play piano, though, and I agree 100% that music effects math comprehension.....he wants to learn guitar. I think I will definitely try the martial arts....
Thanks so much!
Irene
What a great recommendation. My 5 y-o son is also a bundle of energy and he just started karate over the summer. He's improving his self discipline and focus and now has a major goal...to earn his black belt!
I think any kind of martial arts are great for kids. My daughter is in karate also, and it's been a huge boost for her self confidence!
There is no negative to learning karate. My daughter, 10, is taking her final test tonight to receive her 1st degree black belt. She is awesome. I started her in karate at the age of 6 as she was painfully shy. Karate has given her a confidence that no parent could teach their child. She has self discipline, respect and above all confidence. Her goal at 6 was to get her black belt by 10. She did it. My 3 yr old daughter has been in the same karate for one year. She, too, enjoys it because she sees her big sister enjoying it. I'm enrolling my twins in January when they are 2.5. I don't force any sport on my kids, but they WILL all take karate. Just for the benefits and confidence it gives them. It is not a cheap sport, but worth every penny. My kids interest has not waned at all with this sport. An added bonus...when my kids get scared at night, I quickly remind my oldest that she can kick the ass of 99% of the population. She nods and goes to bed. My 3 yr old kicks the crap out of the monsters in her room at night and then goes to sleep no problem. LOL>
I definetely think my son has gained confidence. I've also seen the confidence grow in other kids in his class that started out very shy. There is one boy that was so shy you could barely get him to say 'Keyup' loud enough to hear him. His mom brings him as much as possible, probably more than I do, and has him practice, and he is no longer shy in class, is very outgoing and actually is one belt level above my son, even though he started a month or two after my son did.
I just found out this morning that my MIL is telling my son that they teach you how to kill in tae kwon do and that he shouldn't be going. He says he keeps telling her that it's exercise and it's helping him but he says she won't believe him. So it appears that this conversation has been re-occurring often 
I had no idea this was going on until today, I thought my MIL had dropped the subject. She does NOT approve that he is in the class but she stopped saying stuff about it several months ago.
I asked my son if he thinks being in tae kwon do helps him do better in school and in his drum lessons and he said yes. So I'm not going to take him out just because of a difference of opinion from my MIL. I told my son that if she brings the subject up again and doesn't want to listen to the sounds reasons my son gives her (and he's only 7 and he can reason quite well) then he is to tell her to talk to his Dad about it.
Last night I helped my son practice his drum lessons, do some reading, practice some math skills, and practice his tae kwon do and during the whole time we never argued once because he wasn't paying attention and doing it fast enough. It was the best feeling in the world, and on top of that he didn't have any extra homework due to work that he didn't finish in class because he did it all at school. It was a great thing!
I've decided that if my MIL tries to talk to me about it that 1) she needs to talk to the Hubby about it and/or 2) would she rather have him drugged up to keep his brain functioning on the same level as everyone else.
***I feel that if a child needs to be put on medication for ADD or ADHD that is the parents personal choice. But I want to exhaust all other resources before I attempt this because of the side effects that I have seen of the medications.
Our home life has been getting better with my son because even though he is a good child, he sometimes would have to be told to do something 4 times before he would do it. That number is doing down due to him being in tae kwon do.
We as parents do believe in discipline and I didn't stick my son in there because I couldn't discipline, but I wanted my discipline at home to be backed up. Sometimes children seem to get something when someone else is telling them the exact same thing their parent(s) told them.
Overall, I feel that my son's life has been made better for him since I put him in the tae kwon do, and because of that I feel like a good parent.
Sorry about the ramble, I'll stop now.
I don't know what kind of MIL you have but you should be proud of your DS for not giving up because of her. Maybe if he invited her to watch some of his classes and listen to what the instuctor says personally would help. If not remind her life is not a martial arts movie...although I do wish my DH had a body like Van Damme 
instead of Budda 
Your MIL is misinformed. The very principals of TKD and any karate origin is that of peace, not violence. You are taught to defend yourself when attacked. You are not taught to be the aggressor.
We LOVE taekwondo!
Our family started two years ago. My son was first, and he is now recommended black (he's 11), my husband is also recommended black, and my daughter (14) is red (she has to take breaks due to soccer conflicts). My almost five year old has been attending since she was 3 yrs, 10 months. Their kinderkicks class starts at age four, but I BEGGED them to take her early...she needed it! She absolutely loves it, too...
My two year old practices her kiops all the time...she can't wait. She even has her own little uniform!
My son (20 in December) took TKD for years, ultimately earning his 2nd Degree Black Belt. The program boosts self confidence, co-ordination, focus, respect for others. It is not about violence at all. It gives kids much needed exercise and physical activity to wear them out so they sleep well. My son began when he was 6 and attended 3 or 4 classes after school every week year round. His choice, not mine. It was worth every penny.
He is also a musician, percussion and keyboard, and I think the discipline of TKD encouraged his discipline about practicing his music. He himself decided to get up at 6:30 each morning before school to practice his piano, because he knew he would not have time after school. He was involved in a lot of activities, but TKD was always there. He became an Eagle Scout and played in the school orchestra and marching band.
Last year he left for college, and even though TKD was not offered at his college, he took Judo to stay in shape.
Martial arts can be practiced for an entire lifetime. It helps flexibility and coordination in older people, which reduces problems associated with arthritis.
Sorry for the late post, but your MIL is not entirely misinformed... just enough misinformed to be dangerous!
TKD is a war art (hence the term martial art - martial means war), but is that necessarily a bad thing? It's (in most cases watered-down) military training in the ancient Korean tradition, and I don't often hear people squawking about it being bad to join the Army because they teach you how to kill people. Both types of training teach the use of appropriate force when warranted, and in the case of martial arts it's very age-appropriate.
I'm a 2R black belt myself and, though I know full well how to do so in any number of creative ways, I've not yet had to kill anybody, miraculously enough. (The seven-year-olds don't get this training, even as black belts - adults only.) Additionally, if I raised my hand (or foot) to another for any reason other than defense of self or others and even if I used excessive force in so defending, I'd be a white belt again tomorrow (if not thrown out altogether).
Both of my boys are in shaolin kenpo karate and it's been great for them!! It's amazing how much they can learn and remember. Even my youngest who is 5 is doing really well, not quite as precise as my 7 year old but they have been progressing through the belts together.
Courtney
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