What if they want to quit ?
Eventually every child will say "I don't feel like going to class today", or "I'm to tired" or even I don't like it anymore. Your child probably doesn't really mean that, it's just that they don't want to go to class right then. With your help and the help of us, your child has an opportunity to learn about determination and commitment. After class, they will feel good about themselves for having gone to class. Don't worry about "pushing it on your child". If you didn't push them to go to school, they wouldn't do that either. There's a big difference between helping a child follow through on a goal and forcing something on a child. One good strategy is to make sure your child is doing something less interesting to him or her a half hour prior to going to class. For instance, a child doing homework or chores will usually jump at the chance to take a break and go to class. On the other hand, a child playing video games may not want to stop to go to class. If your child is outside playing with friends, is it any surprise that they don't want to stop to go to class? Another good strategy is to help your child set short-term goals when they begin classes. For example, each new belt level is a goal. Once they achieve that goal, their new belt, they can then decide if they want to continue with the classes, but with the understanding that there will be no quitting until the next belt is achieved. Usually a child is so excited to receive their new belt they would of course want to stay and learn their [...]
