After her first day of Life Ki-do class my then 3 year old daughter Cailin walked out the door and said “Mommy, I’m really proud of myself.” This was the first time I had ever heard her say this, but I’ve heard it often since.

It was a tough decision whether or not to let my little girl study martial arts. Our concerns were that she was too young and would start thinking it is ok to be aggressive or she’d become fearful of being a victim. Clearly they had these concerns in mind when they developed the Life Ki-do program for children. The teachers focus on respect and care for each other. They lead by example as they listen not only to the children’s words but their body language and adjust their teaching style accordingly. They discuss emotional awareness of themselves and others, and work on ways of dealing with fear, disappointment, and being hurt inside and out. Sure, we teach these things at home but it is really nice having it reinforced by someone else that my child respects.

The most important thing is that everyone has fun, the kids, the teachers, and even the parents who are encouraged to watch and at times participate. My daughter is approaching her sixth month of classes and still cheers when she hears it’s her karate day. Cailin has recently declared she wants to still be taking Karate when she is a “grown up”. When I asked her why she said she likes to feel strong and she would miss her teachers if she quit. I think it’s because she likes feeling proud of herself.