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Courage: Letter to Parents

Dear Parents,

Courage is one of the qualities that we want to see in our children.  Being willing to try new things and to know how to cope with our fears is very different that not being scared.  All of us feel scared and nervous from time to time.  But when those fears are based on our imagination or worry about what might happen, that is quite different than when there are real dangers. 

In our school we see it quite often that when a child comes in to try a new class – even if they want to be there the fear of the group or new situation overcomes them.  We are able to help them overcome that and act in a safe and courageous way.  This month we will be talking to our students about courage the following ways.  If you would like your child to have more courage why not try Balanced Life Skills Martial Arts.  We build courage in children and adults.

The definitions we will use for courage this month are:

Young students: “I feel brave!
Older students, teens and adults: Courage is the willingness to face fears and challenges with determination.

During the four weeks of September we will be discussing the following:

Week 1: Courage defined. What does courage mean?  What are people scared of?
Week 2: Taking healthy risks: How can I use courage to try new things and meet new people?
Week 3: Courage and Values:  How can I use courage to stand up for what I think is right and fair?
Week 4: Keeping control:  How can I calm myself down and make good decisions?

If you would like more information please feel free to call us and watch for discussions on this website. Take time this month to think about the times you have shown courage even when times were scary.  Share these experiences with your children in an age appropriate manner and they will see how strength of character has served you.

Thanks to all families in our community who continue to support the practice of Life, Art and Peace.

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Courage: Definition

CourageSeptember word of the month at Balanced Life Skills is Courage.  Courage does not mean that you never are scared.  Everyone gets scared or has fears.  This month we will explore this even more, to find ways to try new things, meet new people, stand up for what is right and make good decisions.   Our students will learn the role that determination plays in facing our challenges.

Young students:

Courage means: I feel brave!

Older students:

Courage means: The willingness to face fears and challenges with determination.


There will be more discussions on this site of this word to help everyone discuss it with their own children and to look at it more deeply with themselves in the coming month. Check back with us or you may join our community for even more information.

 

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An Act of Kindness

It was late in the evening and there in one of the parking spaces was shattered glass.  I have no idea where it came from.  The glass nearly filled the entire space.  One of our students came in to the studio and asked if we had a broom and a way to clean it up.  Once they had the tools it took about 20 minutes or so to get it all cleaned up.

What a great service to others.  How kind was it, not to ignore the problem – but rather to roll up your sleeves and solve the problem.  I am sure there are many of you in our audience that do similar acts.  Why not help us to quantify what our community does and record your special Act of Kindness in our Journal here.  We may choose your story to tell others about your experience.

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Using time and talent is good citizenship

The most valuable thing that we have to share with our communities are our time and our talent. The theological author, Richard Whatley once said, “A man is called selfish not for pursuing his own good, but for neglecting his neighbors.” All of us have some talent, whether we are young children or adults. The question we can ask ourselves is, how can I use my time or talents to help others in my immediate community, or in the larger more distant communities.

They may be simple ways of using our talents like reading or performing a play or playing an instrument. It may be helping to build a house or some other renovation. It could be walking a dog or simply picking up trash in a park. None of these require any more than our time and our talent.

If we can help our children see that time and talent is just as valuable or more, we will be guiding them to to become great citizens of their community and of the world.

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Clean up of our waterways

I have just learned that September 19th is an international day devoted to cleaning up the waterways and is used as a day of awareness of what we can do to contribute to the health of our oceans and rivers.  I would like to invite our school and community to join with Balanced Life Skills in creating one or more projects that we can do on that date to help in this cause. 

If you know of a beach or creek or any waterway that needs the attention of humans – to undo what humans have done – please contact us so we can put groups together to spend this one day working on this important type of self defense. 

Talk to your friends and neighbors and lets make a difference in our environment.

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Citizenship begins with awareness

There are so many ways that we can teach and partake in good citizenship. It is so important for our children to see and know that we believe that it is our responsibility to care for others as well as ourselves. Doing simple things though that do not require money – only our effort and awareness can be some of the strongest lessons.

When we are taking a walk in our neighborhood or at the park, we can be aware of trash that is on the ground and pick it up and throw it away. If we were to see an area at the playground that needed maintenance or a coat of paint, we may be able to find some friends to get together and make the repairs. If we need permission then we get that permission – and this is a good lesson to our kids in being leaders.

Awareness of our surrounding and of the feelings of others is the first step in being a good citizen and sharing with our children what citizenship is all about.