Thrown

Don't get me wrong, I am delighted that Robby enjoys Taekwondo. He has grown both emotionally and physically since he was enrolled. We have no doubt that the classes have been good for him and he loves going. In fact he enjoys the classes so much that he now goes three to four times per week.

While Robby is happily readying himself for class each night Scott and I can be found huddled in the kitchen, negotiating who will take him. Actually, it is more like bartering who doesn't  pull class duty that night. It isn't that I mind watching him in class, but  sitting in an uncomfortable straight chair in a foyer has lost its appeal.  Perhaps a more compelling  variable is the fact that when Robby is in class Timmy is in bed sleeping, meaning whomever pulls home duty gets an hour of solitude and control of the television remote. After chasing Hamlet all day, the allure of an hour of quiet feels like a vacation!

Last night I lost the negotiation (for the second time this week) and begrudgingly assumed my place in the foyer of the studio. Robby, although still recovering from his cold, was eager and excited for class. I wasn't feeling fantastic but I tried to appear upbeat.  I didn't want anybody, especially Robby, to know that I wasn't thrilled with being there.

It turns out that I thoroughly enjoyed being a spectator at last night's class. After weeks of practice, Robby finally mastered a difficult skill that has been eluding him. He also gained the confidence to allow the instructor to throw him to the ground. I probably shouldn't admit that part of me thoroughly enjoyed watching him thrown to the mat by the instructor. I knew he was safe of course, but part of me found it uncomfortably satisfying. 

 

For a kid who is terrified of being hurt, it took a great deal of courage for him to volunteer to be thrown upside down on a mat. I might have missed out on the quiet house, but I definitely made out in the deal. I suppose I'll have enough years of a quiet house when the boys grow up and move out.