I know, some of you are upset from reading the title. Offended even, perhaps. Yes, it might be controversial but just let me explain.
Let me start off by saying that kids shouldn’t be taught to use violence for any purpose other than self-defense. However, that’s not even why I think all children should know self-defense.
The reason all children should know how to fight is because the more they know about fighting, the less likely they are to ever have to fight.
And for more than one reason.
First and foremost, bullies (every parent’s worst nightmare) look for victims. They try to find someone who is not strong enough to stand up for themselves. When you know how to fight, you carry yourself differently. Your body language communicates confidence. Your voice projects courage.
That’s not what a bully wants.
Often, that’s enough to get a bully to back off. However, there’s times when bullying is more than just hurtful words and the bully will lay hands on your child. Every parent dreads their child coming home from school beaten up or watching their child’s confidence disappear as they are not able to stand up for themselves in school.
However, learning to fight is not just for the purpose of fighting but even more so to develop a fighter’s mindset. You don’t have to put on a pair of gloves and step into a cage or a ring to have a fighter’s mind; anyone and everyone can develop it and it will benefit them in all aspects of life.
Because if you think about it, your child will inadvertently have to fight at some point, whether you want them to or not: fight adversity, fight depression, fight through a difficult period of their life. The list of fights that will take place without a single punch being thrown goes on and on. Here’s an opportunity to help prepare your child for it. And if your child would actually get into a situation where they would have to use physical violence to protect themselves, would you not rather that they knew how?
Personally, I think it’s better to know how to fight and never have to use it than being in a situation where you wished that you did.
Want to help prevent bullying? Visit StopBullying or Pacer
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