March 22, 2006

Sai what?

Getting ready for karate class was not fun this week. It went something like this:

Me: "It’s time to get in your gi, Big I. Get dressed."

Big I: "No."

Me: "Yes."

Big I: "NOOOOOOOO. I don’t want to go. I HATE karate."

Me: "No you don’t. Why do you say you hate karate?" (thinking to self about how this child begged to start taking karate.)

Big I: folding arms and pouting with chin tucked to chest, speaking in baby voice, "It’s too tough. I’m not going."

Me: "Yes you are."

Daddy: "Do you like McDonalds, Big I?"

Big I: "Yes."

Daddy: "If you don’t go to karate you’re never going to McDonald’s again. McDonald’s is a treat that happens when you go to karate."

Me: (mouth drops. Thinks to self: "Did he seriously just say that?" (starts to compute in head the cost and time that will be devoted to therapy in the future for such a statement.)

Big I: getting dressed "Fine. I’ll go. But I HATE it."

So, we get to karate class and I say to our 20 something year old instructor, "How old were you when you started taking karate classes? I bet you thought it was hard, huh?" wink, wink and nod head in direction of Big I.

Mr. M: totally catches my drift and says, "Oh, well I was about 10 years old and yeah, it was really hard at first. But then it sinks in and gets easier and then it gets really fun." He looks back at me. I nod approvingly for a job well done.

Mr. M then spends the entire class catering to Big I, helping her with things she needs to know and making it fun in the process. He totally rocks, let me tell you. For a 20-something guy, he is so darn with it when it comes to kids. We spent time this week learning weapons kata’s. We worked with sai, tonfa, and the bo. By worked with, I mean that Big I sort of held the weapons but mostly just banged the two sai and tonfa together and made sweet music while the rest of us did our thing around the dojo.

When we got home from karate, I asked Big I which weapon she thought was the best. She paused briefly and then answered, "those metal things (referring to sai). . . you know why Mommy? Because they make the best music."

Music now, fighting expertise later. All in good time. I can wait.