Kiya!

At the beginning of March, Adam started taking karate.  This is, after all, Okinawa - the actual birthplace of karate - so how could we leave here without someone actually learning the art?  We just had to wait until he was old enough to take a class.  So every Tuesday and Thursday night we head down the street about two blocks to the Youth Center and Adam takes on the role of karateka, learning Shorei-Goju karate.  While he was very excited about starting the class, I was perhaps a little more excited.  I had visions of a very intimidating Japanese Sensei scaring the daylight out of Adam, turning him into an obedient, disciplined version of himself, who would be able to ward off any bully (let's face it - between his father and myself in our youth, he doesn't have a snowball's chance in hell of being anything but scrawny).  I thought my problems would be solved for $45 a month.

Well, the Sensei is not Japanese.  And he's also not very intimidating.  In fact, the kids laugh at him more than anything.  It didn't take Adam very long to figure out that his normal M.O. of playing "class clown" would work out just fine here.  So that's the role he played.  I tried to be patient, thinking the discipline that other kids showed would somehow rub off on him.  But after the first month, I wasn't so sure.  So I asked him if he wanted to learn karate, to which he professed that he did.  But, still, the behavior stunk.  He was the first of any student to get called into the "time-out" position - a high plank.  He was constantly asked questions to which he didn't know the answer.  He could never stand still.  I never even bothered taking my camera because this was standard.  He started complaining that the class was boring because all they did was learn stances, so I explained the importance of the stances.  He still didn't seem interested, yet always protested when I told him we were going to stop taking the class.  I was at my wit's end.  Two nights a week, I have to be ahead of the game enough to either have dinner in the crock pot by 10 a.m. or start preparing it by 4:30 for it to be ready at 5:30 so we can walk out the door at 6:00 to watch Adam act like a fool by 6:15.  I'd had it.  To top it off, he had a test looming sometime in the near future for his White belt.  He had to memorize all 15 stances to earn it.  He knew about six.  Or so I thought...

Two Thursdays ago, we did our normal routine and got to karate right on time.  For some reason that day, I figured I should take the camera and maybe catch him in a few moments of actual obedience and effort.  But that night, Alan had to work late so he never made it to karate and I was left with not only observing Adam, but keeping Thing 1 and Thing 2 from disturbing every karate, gymnastics, dance, piano and guitar class going on in the building that night.  I didn't get a single picture of Adam.  Not that there seemed to be one to take, as I constantly heard Sensei yelling his name while I chased the Things around.  I didn't figure he did well.  Then, right before the end of class, he had everyone sit down.  Then he started calling out a few names, telling them to stand up.  I heard him call Adam's name (he actually said "This kills me...Adam", so I turned my attention to the dojo.  I looked around, confused, at the group of kids standing at attention...I couldn't figure out why he had chosen these nine kids to stand.  Adam and two others were the usual suspects, but then there were some others who were always on top of things.  What was up?  The next thing Sensei said made me drop my jaw (and almost Anaya): "These nine kids have just earned their White belt!" 

WHAT??  ANAYA, GET DOWN!  I HAVE TO TAKE A PICTURE!!

I could not believe it!  I guess he was listening, after all.  That's kind of scary, actually, that he can clown around and still semi-know what's going on.  He's not perfect and there is a lot of room for improvement, but he's one step closer.  The following class, they received their belts.  Here he is, just after having it tied on:

I love that clown.  We'll try one more month, I guess.