The Next Step
Contributed by Cindy Kent, SunSentinel.com
The Kid takes martial arts. His idea. He wants to be a black belt. His idea.
But now he’s at a crossroads: there is a component to the process of getting a black belt – he will have to spar. He doesn’t want to spar.
“Mom, I don’t want to get in a fight, I’m not that kind of guy,” he said. “I know it means I won’t be able to get to my goal though.”
“It’s not like you’re picking a fight,” I said. “It’s about a 360 degree view. About applying what you know.”
He asked me why I am pushing him. I thought we were just having a conversation.
I reminded him it was his idea to take Tae Kwon Do. I told him that he has gathered some valuable tools and he is at a portal, a doorway.
The door is open, and he won’t go through. What if that sets a pattern on how he handles challenges throughout life, getting only halfway there?
What would you say? How would you handle this?
Gretchen Day-Bryant has a son in high school and a daughter in middle school. She’s lived to tell about the struggles of juggling little kids and work.
Joy Oglesby has a preschooler...
Cindy Kent Fort Lauderdale mother of three. Her kids span in ages from teenager to 20s.
Rafael Olmeda and his wife welcomed their first son in Feb. 2009, and he's helping raise two teenage stepdaughters.
Lois Solomon lives in Boca Raton with her husband and three daughters.
Georgia East is the parent of a five-year-old girl, who came into the world weighing 1 pound, 13 ounces.
Brittany Wallman is the mother of Creed, 15, and Lily, 7, and is married to a journalist, Bob Norman. She covers Broward County government, which is filled with almost as much drama as the Norman household. Almost.
Chris Tiedje is the Social Media Coordinator and the father of a 7-year-old girl, and two boys ages 4 and 3.
Kyara Lomer Camarena has a 2-year-old son, Copelan, and a brand new baby. 
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