To take a stand (this is impossibly important to me)

I was taught the meaning of "taking a stand" last summer during a leadership seminar in Philadelphia.  The class was a very intense 3-day weekend where I learned a lot about myself, other people, and how we interact with each other.  One of the many affirmations that I got from the seminar was "Big people take a stand for each other."

Over the past few months, I've been talking to parents about taking a stand for their children.  My call to action has been:

"My passion for the character development in children inspires me to give you this call to action:  Take a stand for the important people in your life that train in martial arts - get them to commit to competing in a tournament to make them better martial artists and stronger people."

Sometimes, you really have to "force" a kid to do something they won't like so that they can become better people or better at what they do.  This could be a Lacrosse Camp that they don't want to go to, a tutoring school that's extracurricular, or a martial arts tournament.  No one can "force" anyone to do anything.  A parent can take things away from a child and ground them or whatever they want but when it comes down to it, a child will make the decision whether to do something or not.  Parents give motivation or inspiration for a child to do something, that is what we mean by "force."  For example:  A parent can motivate a child by saying "If you get 1st place at world championships, I'll buy you the Star Wars Death Star Lego Set!!"  Or, the parent can inspire the child by saying, "Can you imagine what it will feel like wearing your Black Belt??  That will be the coolest thing in the world!!"  But picking a child up and bringing them to karate class will not make them into black belts, the parents must inspire or motivate them to do it. 

Here's a quote that I truly believe in.

Re-reading the last paragraph makes me think about two kinds of kids and parents.  Parents who have self-motivated kids who try their best always and parents that have to constantly motivate their children with negative or positive reinforcement to get them to do their best.  There is always a teeter-totter of emotion about staying on track for their goals and keeping a high level of discipline.  But what about those parents that don't take a stand? 

Parents who don't take a stand for their child and let them make their own decision.  A parent that allows their children to skate through a program, not helping to keep them engaged because of their own personal interests.  I feel bad for the children whose parents let them quit.  The children in a seemingly happy household whose mother and father will not take a stand for something that a child has, at one point, set forth with intensity to achieve something that only a few can.  And at the first sign of failure or loss-of-interest, the parent lets the child decide what's best for them. 

Think about the 8 or 9 year old kid who looks at her mother and says, "I don't want to go today."  Mom says, "Oh you're going, don't even try it."  The child attends their class at their martial arts school or dance school and enjoys herself, as usual.  It really hurts me to think about that same girl who looks at her mom and she says, "OK, don't do it then."  Mother doesn't care whether the girl does it or not.  Mother doesn't care.