The Dojo, Photos, and Sharenting

I get it, I really do. I have two adorable sons of my own. I want all those I know to witness their cuteness, their cleverness, their obnoxiously adorable outfits and quirks. I get it. If they did karate, I would probably love to post every move they make.

But here’s the thing: it’s just not safe to do so.

Dear Dojo Parents

We see you in the driveway, laptop out as you work by the cabin light of your car. Another kid doing homework in the back while waiting for their class. We know that you’re worried about so much, and we don’t want to add to it.

Here’s how we see it, and you, and all of this.

Karate and Chores Go Together

Karate tries to teach discipline, respect for self and others, humility and compassion – chores overlap beautifully with this. And so I decided to see if the kind of parents who sign up their kids for karate are also the kind that make them do chores. I think you will find the results fascinating.

Maybe You Shouldn’t Be a Sensei

You can only hope that the best of what you said made it through, and they take it with them. You hope that they remember how much you believed in them, and wanted the best for them, and that some of the lessons stick with them. If you do your job right, they might not stay with you in the dojo, but maybe a little part of you stays with them.

Karate in the Age of Instagram

I worked as a social media manager in my past life, before I ran away from corporate to become an instructor, and it was a constant battle of shiny, happy updates and vapid copy, my English degrees weeping on the wall while I used hashtags and SEO-friendly babble to sell books, or book launches.