December 22, 2007

Introductions

Hey everyone! This is my first post on Black Belt Mama so let me introduce myself though you may have seen me lurking in comments here and there. My name is Bush Mackel – Though I sometimes go as Da Mack Daddy. Now that’s not to claim that I am every woman’s dream, but only to make reference to fatherhood which I am now very well acquainted with thanks to my 7th month old son, Little Mac.

So even though you now know me through this little introduction, don’t think that the title of this post was entirely self serving… You see, last night I had a holiday potluck at my house. (Yes, I can be PC at times). Well at the potluck, I had a rare chance to talk to some of my friends (none of whom are parents) and one of them started a very interesting conversation with me on the subject of introductions and more to the point what should you introduce your kids to.

At first, the discussion started with talk of religion and whether or not to introduce Little Mac to religion. Arguments on both sides of the fence ranged from, "What right do you have to force something as important as religion on the young mind of a child?" to "Well, if you don’t introduce your kid to the church, how would they NOT hate going when they were older?" Then the talk moved to other things like chess and sports. It was at this time that I piped up and said if there was any two things I would probably introduce my kid to, it would probably be music and the martial arts.

I probably can’t put into words why I feel so strongly about music. Though as far as martial arts go, I can AT THE LEAST speak to what it did for me in my youth. In a nutshell, I was a nerd when I was younger. And I mean a nerd. Now I’d probably be more of a geek as I’ve been able to successfully straddle the fence of nerdom and social normalcy. But back then it was tough going – As it is for most young people. Weird hair, big buck teeth, tacky Christmas sweaters everyday of the year… But despite this, I always felt like I could talk to anyone because my dad got me involved with the martial arts.

I think looking back at it all, (not that I have one foot in the grave or anything), confidence is a precious commodity in life. Without it, basically everything is a nightmare. Talking to women, getting a job, making friends, negotiating better rates on your loans… Without confidence, life is just that much tougher. And I think one of the best things I’ve had going for me has been being confident in just about everything I’ve done.

Add to that all the other great benefits from martial arts… Athleticism, friendship, the ability to defend yourself – Well for me, that makes it a no brainer.