Accomplishments

Got to watch Drew test for his first belt today. He started taekwondo this fall, and this step from white to yellow was fun to observe and participate in as a parent. The kids who were there ranged from very young to late teenagers. I worried that Drew would be the oldest white belt, but he wasn't by a long shot.

His excitement in the exercise, and my pride at watching him be the first to do a longer series of steps, and then to feel his frustration at kicking until he broke his (rather thick) plate of wood — it was an incredible experience. Honestly was something that I have felt a number of times with the kids, from soccer to fencing to basketball, made me feel great, and a bit melancholy about their growing up.

Mary Kathryn seemed bored, which wasn't that surprising since she was not there in any capacity and she is thirteen, right? But she enjoyed it more than she admitted. We talked about some of the kids that were there... There was this one little girl -- maybe seven -- who was testing for the red belt (I think) which is two levels below black. She was very focused, and very mature in how she approached the test and her responsibility to the teacher, her parents and her other students. It was both pretty impressive and a little... sad. Made me wonder what she would be like later -- finishing at the top of her Harvard Law school class, and still wondering who she was. It just makes me worry about what we do to our kids.

Tomorrow, we'll hit the State Fair... I'll be rested I hope.