Proud Mama

I love my boys more than I knew it was possible to love something.  Being a parent to them has allowed my heart to grow in directions that I did not know were possible.  With that, I am also able to feel all of the other parenting emotions in great detail.  When they do something frustrating, it is maddening to me, or disappointment can become shame, and proud can become an intense form of pride. 

Emerson has always been easy to look at with adoration.  He can charm the pants off of just about everyone he meets.  He knows how to work a crowd and win over his mama's heart.  Isaac on the other hand, is more complex.  He is my visual learner who excels already in math in many ways.  Take for example the Law of attention for negatives and positives.  If a child does something positive they have between a 20-60% chance of getting attention for the action.  If a child does something negative they have a 95-100% chance of getting attention. 

So, needless to say, when your brother is an outgoing, charming attention hog, you gotta get some attention however you can, and with Isaac that tends to be with the negative.  But... and this is a big one.... Isaac and martial arts is all about being his best, because he loves it that much. 

I have always been clear about my goals for the boys with them taking karate.  I want Emerson to gain skills in following directions, and physical agility/coordination.  For Isaac I wanted him to have an outlet for his aggression, and confidence building sport and a place for him to excel physically. 

Yesterday, as I sat in the parent section, I could feel myself beaming. 

Emerson loves martial arts.  He practices all the time.  He pays attention there better than any other time.  He still struggles, but for him, he has his A game on when he goes to class.  It is a pleasure to watch him improve despite his struggles.

Isaac marched into class, bowed at the door, went to the wall and sat "like a black belt" and waited for class to start.  He watched his instructors intently.  When asked to come up, he confidently shouted a "yes sir!" and ran to attention.  He performed each skill to a level of impressive accuracy for a five year old, and his instructors and other parents noticed.  There was so much to smile about during the 45 min. class.  My boy was impressive, just because.  It wasn't just that he was better than he was before, or that people were patronizing him.  He was in his element and he did something wonderful because he was passionate about it, and he was good. 

Needless to say positive attention was abound on the car ride home, but no amount of praise said, could match the peace my heart felt in seeing that my little one has what it takes, and much more.