I 'insist' parents let instructors KNOW when things aren't going right with their kid at home.

TKD instructors are PAID, to teach students to mainifest the philosophy of the martial arts in their lives, both in and out of the do-jang.

I also insist parents and kids let instructors KNOW when things are going right...  Good grades in school... special projects the youngster did through school, or volunteering in the community or helping out neighbors... you name it...

"Caughtcha-doing-good!" is a game I like to play constantly, and I encourage parents to DO that. 

The words, "Excellent... you did a great job!" (said with sincerity) coming from a parent or TKD teacher, REALLY counts with a kid!

On cleaning rooms...  I say, "WHEN you clean your room... you can do ______"

I don't even SAY 'if'... because that suggests that the direction is optional...  When I give an order, it's not optional, no matter how politely I give it.  LOL

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Getting through life takes just a LITTLE bit of insanity!*g*

realise that this is a bit of an old topic, but it interests me greatly and thought it deserved a bump.
Even though stephen has only been going to tkd for a few weeks I have noticed that his attitude during lessons is so much better, and it is starting to rub off on everyday life, so I would not dream of keeping him from it, but I have already in a way used it as a punishment. he wouldn't clean his room (not forgetting or putting it off, just flat refused) so I sat him to the table and told him to copy out the student creed five times, underlining the 'avoid anything that will reduce my mental growth or my physical health' bit, and asked him to think about whether sleeping in the middle of the tip he called a bedroom was conducive to this. Hey presto, an hour later and his bedroom was tidy, and the following day he went to his next lesson and had a blast. one clean bedroom and one happy boy :)

tracey xxx