Teaching Children Commitment
There is a thought provoking article over on Parenting Ideas about the importance of teaching children commitment.
The main theme of the post is that you teach kids to commit by teaching them that they must attend, eg karate lessons, even if they don’t feel like it. This has certainly made me question my outlook. The post generally makes sense to me but from certain experiences I have had it does not always ring true.
For example, my little boy was starting to attend football lessons. However, he was very young for his group and was bullied by both the other children and bossed around by some of the onlooking fathers! In that situation, I had no problem with him stopping attending the lessons because I don’t think sticking at the lessons would have done much for his self esteem. It also brought back memories of being forced to do things as a kid which only served to dent my confidence.
The art is probably picking something that your child enjoys and then ensuring they last the course. If your child does not like the extra curricular activity in the first place then surely it is a losing battle?
One of the particular aspects of a Martial Art, such as Karate which the blog post discusses, is that it teaches children discipline and respect. It is far more than learning about self-defense. Having said that, the same goes for many other lessons such as ballet or music.
In this day and age when instant gratification is all around us the article picks up on the notion that it is important for children to learn the satisfaction and skills that come from pursuits which require dedication and where there is much slower progress.
So, if you are going to make your children commit to an activity, think carefully before you make your choice!
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