Happy WAWA one and all. This week we tackle (pun intended) the topic of physical combat for babies and toddlers. Yes, you read that correctly. I am going to show you some of the most viral-tastic videos from the interwebs and articles on the subject. Prepare for fathers wrestling with their babies, toddlers in Karate class, and one badass MAMA. Please put on your funny hat, and throw your critical hat out the window; these are just for fun. To wrap, we’ll review some techniques to teach your children not to fight with each other, if you want to be parent party-poopers.
To start, this is one of the funniest things I’ve seen in years. One of my favorite bloggers, Gavin McInnes (co-founder of Vice magazine, and widely recognized as inventing the hipster movement) went big time viral last year with his video short “How to Fight a Baby”. Please enjoy the video below, and a link to one of the articles when the clip caught fire!
http://www.today.com/parents/dads-zany-how-fight-baby-video-goes-viral-2D11658886
During the Karate craze in the US of the 1990’s, my parents entered me into Karate class (Korean style Tang Soo Do school to be exact). I loved it, and will definitely get my daughter practicing under sensei daddy-o and then at a school as soon as she can. We’ve already bought our daughter a toddler size Gi. Check out this site if you are so inclined to get a jumpstart:
http://www.karatedepot.com/controller.aspx?type=view&info=search&a=ft&v=kid+starter+gi
Karate classes are an excellent way to instill confidence, discipline and comradery in your children. It is of course great for physical fitness, balance and flexibility too. Children learn to be at class on time, have their Gi washed and ironed, have pride in their belt, and to obey the sensei. The sensei can be strict with a child in a different way than a father, or mother can. This does not take away from the parents’ authority with their children in my experience, but rather strengthens it. Children can learn that by being obedient to some rules, that they can achieve great things through respecting a mentor figure. Mine was sensei Ralph Alegria. Here he is in all his glory in 1979:
Unfortunately, my childhood sensei Ralph Alegria’s “Studio Alegria” in El Segundo has closed, but here are some martial arts schools in Los Angeles:
http://www.yelp.com/search?find_desc=Martial+Arts+For+Kids&find_loc=Los+Angeles%2C+CA
Here are some of the cutest clips from youtube of toddler prodigies showing their skills to all of our delight:
Karate for children is not all about punching, kicking and sparring (practice fighting) either, here is some amazing Kata action:
Now, enough for the laughs. For you parents out there that need some help controlling and teaching your already physically aggressive children; here are some good techniques for taming their inner monster:
http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/resist-violence.aspx
Whether it’s wrestling, Karate or boxing or anything else, always teach your children that martial arts should only be used for self-defense, and that the most important grab is a HUG.
To send you MAMAs out into the weekend with some inspiration, here is what years of Karate training can lead to:
Till next time MAMA NATION. – Mr. Dante