Do Weapons and Kindergartners really Get Along?

Karate - a method, developed in Japan, of defending oneself without the use of weapons by striking sensitive areas on an attacker's body with the hands, elbows, knees, or feet. Max loves his karate and wanted to go to a Bo seminar for 4-7 year olds and I thought what a great idea! The karate school sent me an email with all the details. What fun he was going to have....then....I saw a short sentence off to the side of the email that said

"You take home the Bo". Hold the phone! You mean that I am gonna send my kid to this seminar, they are going to give him a Bo to keep, and then give him enough information to do damage to persons and property!? I am second guessing my decision. Am I being a wimpy mom who needs to just relax and let the Bo fall where it may? Or, am I being vigilant and forward thinking? Maybe I am the lone person who understands that Kindergartners and really big sticks increase the trouble factor by 1,000,000,000 times. Maybe I am the only parent who looks at their 5 yr old, standing before them with a wooden staff, and a madd lack of skills, and whose head, legs, and butt start to ache with anticipation. I am thinking that maybe if I armed myself with say a japanese spear, I could combat this Bo. I have always thought nunchuks were cool but I am afraid that I would knock myself out before doing any damage to my enemy. After a night of unrelenting dreams about that freakin' Bo (Max saves the day, Max breaks a priceless Ming vase, Max fights Al Qaeda and wins, Max puts the neighbor child in the hospital, Max and his Bo conquer evil in the world, Max and his Bo become companions of evil) OK, OK, I know that this is a little overboard but that is what happens when you are asleep! Now that I have pondered this, both asleep and awake, I am going to let Max go to the seminar and I will even let him bring home a 6 foot long lesson in pain. Of course, there will be rules for Bo use and I suspect that in the very near future, my dear son will sustain an injury that will make him weep and wail and yell about how much he "hates" his Bo. With the lesson finally learned, we can all move on with fewer concussive injuries and a healthy respect for hard woods.


Speak softly and carry a big stick and you will go far.
Theodore Roosevelt