Meet the "Fast-Improvings" family

We'd like to think of ourselves as "The Incredibles." You know, that family of superheroes who, by the use of their unique self-defense skills, manages to overcome an arch villain bent on the destruction of humankind. But our 9-year old, who began Aikido first and who's progressing much faster than his parents, notes with the wisdom that comes from advanced training in the art, we're not there yet, and that it might be more appropriate to call ourselves "The Fast-Improvings."

We are improving in Aikido -- and enjoying it tremendously. We signed up our son first -- he needed an activity and had just seen "Kung Fu Panda" -- and quickly saw the wide-ranging benefits that come from training. He respects himself more as well as others; he's proud of his advancing in rank and of the accomplishments of hard work and focus promotion entails; he knows numerous self-defense techniques that have led him to feel resourceful instead of hapless under threat of attack; and his body has grown stronger and more flexible. He says he loves Aikido for the reasons I've mentioned, and adds, "people should take Aikido because it makes you feel happier and safer when you're walking around!" Seeing him realize these and other benefits, and how much fun he was having on the mats, his mom and I decided we'd give it a shot and we're delighted we did. We now enjoy the benefits our son does, plus the added rewards that come from training together as a family.

The principles of friendship and courtesy that constitute the basis of dojo etiquette carry over to our family life. We help each other with our techniques, support each other through the bumps and bruises, praise one another when we do well. Each of us has a framed certificate hanging in the hallway that marks our achievements of rank, and we work together to wash and fold our uniforms for training. Our schedules allow for us to train together Saturday mornings, which we usually follow-up with a big pancake brunch at IHop. We get to spend time together doing something we all enjoy and that makes us feel good, and along the way cultivate the kinds of bonds and connections that come from shared experience. Perhaps most importantly, we rest easier, especially with regard to our son, knowing that if the worst were to happen, each of us would have a better chance of being able to walk away from it. We're not "The Incredibles" to be sure, but the "Fast Improvings" are having lots of fun learning the art of self-defense together.

-- The McFinnis Famiy