If you could stand beside me in the dojo door at 3:30 on a Monday afternoon, you’d see what I see. Little Champions racing in with their belts half-tied. A shy hello from behind a parent’s leg. A big brother walking his little sister into the dojo. After 26 years, that doorway is still my favourite place in the dojo.
Coming up on Friday 20 November is World Children’s Day. It marks the day in 1989 when the United Nations promised that every child deserves to be safe, healthy, happy and heard. Martin and I wanted to use it to tell you something we don’t say often enough: your child is truly special. Not some children. Yours, and every one of them.
The child who walks in the door
Every child arrives a little differently. Some bounce straight into the dojo. Some watch from the edge for a week, or a month. Some have already decided they’re “not sporty”.
I’ve learned never to judge a child by their first class. More times than I can count, the quiet child at the edge has become the teenager leading the warm-up, and I’ve had the joy of watching it happen one class at a time.
What your children teach me
I’m meant to be the teacher. Truthfully, your children teach me just as much.
- Courage looks different for every child. For one it’s breaking a board. For another it’s saying their name out loud in front of the class. I celebrate both the same way.
- Children rise to what we believe about them. When I crouch down and say “I know you can do this”, I watch them find a way.
- Effort beats talent. The children who go furthest are rarely the most naturally gifted. They’re the ones who keep turning up, even on the tired days.
- Every child wants to be seen. A name remembered, a high five at the door, a quiet “well done” after class. Those small moments matter to me as much as they do to them.
What I hope they carry with them
Karate gives your child skills for the dojo: stances, blocks, kata. What I really hope they carry into life is bigger:
- Confidence to stand tall and use their voice
- Focus to stay with something when it gets hard
- Respect for others, and for themselves
- Resilience: knowing that “I can’t do it yet” is only the beginning
In Chito-Ryu, we train the mind and body to move as one. For children, that’s where it starts: learning that what they believe about themselves changes what they can do.
From our family to yours
Martin and I are parents too. We’ve done the rushed weeknight dinners, the hunt for a missing belt five minutes before class, and the car rides home hearing every detail of a new kata. Our own children are young adults now, and I can tell you what everyone told us: it goes so fast.
A little invitation
One of my favourite moments in class is when I tell a child what I noticed. Not the kick or the kata, but the person. “You helped one of our new students find their spot.” “You kept going when it got hard.” Their whole face changes.
If you’d like to join me this World Children’s Day, you might share one of those moments with your child too, maybe in the car or at dinner. Something you see in them that has nothing to do with a belt or a grade. They’re listening, even when it doesn’t look like it.
And if you do, I’d love to hear about it next time I see you at the dojo.
Thank you
To every child who has bowed into our dojo over the past 26 years: thank you. You’ve made me a better teacher, and a better person.
And to you, the parents who trust us with your children every week: thank you for sharing them with us. I never take it for granted.
They are truly special. Every one of them.
New to Sunshine Coast Karate? Bring your child for a free trial class, and I’ll meet you both at the door. Book your free trial.