Dedication

Tomorrow is Chase's black belt test. He's been doing a lot of preparation for this. The dojang we use, Exceptional Tae Kwon Do, is much more intensive than your other places. Aside from knowing his poomse (a series of movements) and blocking and kicking combinations, he was required to write an essay about what his Tae Kwon Do training has done for him. He had to make up and write down ten self defense techniques and practice them with a partner to demonstrate. He had to practice basic Bo staff, which is like quarterstaff--remember Robin Hood's fight with Little John? He is learning how to break a brick with his hand. I can barely break a brick with a hammer.

There will also be a tea ceremony before the black belt test. Chase has informed me that drinking tea will be the hardest part of his test.

All of this requires a certain amount of commitment on my part. I'm his transportation to the studio. The children's classes conveniently start and end before my husband leaves work and usually I end up driving at the height of rush hour. At times, I feel very put out and put upon. But I'm pretty proud of Chase's dedication. He's persevered in spite of his asthma, his dislike of writing, and his sensitive nature (there were a lot of tears when he started sparring). I've given him plenty of opportunity to stop, to try something new, but this was what he wanted. And now he's doing it.