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10:04 AM, Monday, August 19th, 2019:   Well isn't this cute...     So Karate. Here's my biggest takeaways for doing this...   Father of a daughter, you want her to be able to handle some shit. She's already shy, and she's already extremely vulnerable to anyone older than her or simply with a stronger personality manipulating her into doing shit. Hell every kid is to a degree, but it's our biggest concern with her. Karate builds confidence in a way that is pretty hard to quantify without just watching it. What it also does? Is prepare your kid for LIFE.   A dude is yelling at the class all the fucking time. And since Cam already has listening issues because I think boys instinctively daydream harder than girls (LOL) this dude is yelling at CAM the most. You have to listen. And, yelling? Is tough to wrap your head around when you're a kid. They've only ever heard me yell if there is PHYSICAL DANGER either coming imminently or if their actions nearly CAUSED that physical danger. I use it sparingly for that exact reason: it makes them STOP in their tracks because I don't use that voice for anything else. Or, well, I try not to. Kids are pretty fucking annoying sometimes. LMAO.   Here however? It's used often and it will SHAKE a sensitive kid. The good thing is, they just listened by the end of the 10 weeks. Vienna was always good at it, Cam got better at it and they legit went from white belt to yellow belt. There was some concern that they weren't going to to be honest. Also concerned one would make it and the other wouldn't. You PAY to find out which is annoying too. LOL. I do believe they pass ALL of the white belts and then get a little more strict as they move on but the good news is: the kids love it. Vienna may be a lifer, Cam may eventually move on to other stuff, but for Vienna it really gives her confidence. This is a kid who couldn't do front rolls for years out of a strange fear about them and now does back rolls, front rolls on every possible surface like a lunatic. It's awesome. But more than anything, the ability to be disciplined is something that is just, so, valuable. Watching a class is like watching some brainwashing event where everyone says the right shit and moves the right way... which is a little spooky... but in small doses? That's life. That's work sometimes. That's so many different situations. You don't have to live your entire life with that kind of discipline (goodness knows I don't) but knowing you CAN? Whew. That compartmentalization and self-awareness is golden. I hope they both continue it for years and years.   Time will tell!    Adam