Children just love to train.  Most normal children will accept grades and rewards as and when they arrive and are not too concerned by them, their love is to be a part of a club, move their bodies and learn.

Wise parents give them the gift of putting them into a good club and letting them experience that unhindered, damaged parents push their children to fulfil their own ambitions and pass that damage onto their children. A good Instructor will only grade when the child is ready, irrespective of a pushy parent and this puts pressure on to the child, ultimately making them feel that they are a disappointment and they inevitably give up feeling that they are a failure.

So here are a few do’s and dont’s:

Don’t tell a child that they are ready for grading, leave that to the Instructor.

Don’t compare your child to others in the club, they all progress at different rates.

Don’t coach your child from the sidelines, that makes you really ‘pushy’.

Don’t ‘push’ an Instructor to grade your child as that will only upset them and your child.

Do ask for feedback on what your child can do to improve their training, (good Instructor’s love that).

Do encourage your child to train and enjoy their training as much as possible.

Do train yourself so that you can understand the process, parents and children that train together at home bond and do extremely well.

Do watch your child training to show interest.

Do congratulate them for taking part whether they pass or fail, gradings will then come in their own time and when they are ready. 

We all love our children, but it’s easy to damage them without realising it and make them feel like they are a failure. Children progress at different rates at different ages and it also depends on natural ability, what else is going on in their life and what kind of support you give them.

And who would want their child wearing a grade that they weren’t worth? That has to be the worse thing a pushy parent and weak Instructor could ever do to a child.