Jan

25

Nolan’s day




Saturday was all about Nolan.  He had karate testing in the morning and the Cub Scout Pinewood Derby in the afternoon.  It was his last Pinewood Derby, next month he moves up to Boy Scouts.  I think my husband is more sad about it than Nolan. Mike has been involved with the Cub Scouts since Tanner was in first grade, as den leader and as Pack leader. 

We kind of slack off karate during the summer and fall, because Nolan plays baseball too and it’s hard to find the time to attend every practice and game. But he’s back at karate  now full force.

 

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I got some blurry pictures, because every time he sensed that I had my camera out he jerked his head around.  Here is he doing his form for the instructor.

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Practicing his kicks.

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The grand finale, breaking the board with his heal.

One common theme in every picture I got is how stoic and reserved Nolan is.  He doesn’t get excited or agitated.  When they do their forms, they are taught to yell in certain parts of the form. Nolan did that when he first started karate.  But now that the instructor knows him, and understands that the reason my son didn’t join karate for years was because he has a very hard time being front and center, he doesn’t insist that Nolan yell.  So he does his form without a sound. The instructor said it was like watching the strongest silent movie ever.

They sparred with other students, and even though Nolan is one of the smallest in his group, he is one of the few boys and one of the toughest.  He has also been taking karate the longest. The girls are at least a head taller than him and outweigh him by probably 30 pounds, so I was a little concerned. Not for Nolan though, for the girls.  I know my son is a little powerhouse, but it always surprises other people.

This sparring is very polite, quiet, and calm. They are to be in control at all times, which is not a problem for Nolan.  He waited patiently for his opponent to get a good hit or kick in at him,  then he would throw one of his kicks, which are hard and fast.  I watched as my son never broke a sweat but at the end of each round, every one of his opponents was red faced, and a couple of the girls were wiping back tears.  He wasn’t brutal and didn’t violate any rules, he’s just tough.  But he also made sure that he took his fair share of hits and kicks, he would kick then back off until his opponents could connect with him.  That’s fair, and it does take control. 

After each student sparred with each other, they got to spar with the instructor.  That is more fun to watch, because the kids can really show their stuff without worrying about hurting a student that may not be at the same level.  The instructor encouraged Nolan to not back off after each kick or hit, but to really let loose and use all his kicks and punches. Nolan did, but still stayed very calm. It’s amazing for me to watch that, because I always say that my oldest son and I are just alike, and  Nolan is just like his dad, but we do have that in common.  We are both very quiet and reserved.

We’ve been dealing with so many challenges with our oldest son that we needed to spend some time focusing on Nolan.  It was a good day for all of us.  And I just had to write a proud mom post about it! I don’t want to only write about our parenting struggles, I want to celebrate their accomplishments, too.

 

Be sure to check back on Monday for another Bloggy Giveaways Carnival giveaway.  I’m so excited for this one because it is the week of my birthday!

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    Filed Under Family, Fun, My boys | 3 Comments 

    3 Responses to “Nolan’s day”

      1
        Sharla on January 25th, 2009 2:53 pm

        Love the pictures! And just in case I forget because I’m so busy entering giveaways Happy Birthday! And I hope you win lots of good stuff!

      2
        Sheri on January 26th, 2009 9:01 am

        Thanks Sharla! I’m sure we’ll all be very busy entering, it’s going to be fun. Good luck, I hope you win too.

      3
        Zen Mama Wannabe on January 27th, 2009 7:21 pm

        You are right on in saying we need to celebrate the accomplishments! Sometimes I feel like all I do is talk about (try to correct) the 9 things they do wrong, instead of look for that golden moment when a child has a chance to shine. What a nice thing to share!