The Karate Champ...and Success in General

Warning, maternal bragging ahead. Proceed with caution!

The Karate Kid (Sam) can go by a new title now: Karate Champ! In his first tournament, my young son brought home a second place trophy for foot sweeping. This is significant because he was the only white belt in his group--he competed against gold and purple belts, and still only lost to one kid (a purple belt). In addition, he earned a gold medal for his performance in team foot sweeping.

His teacher told Jay after the match, "Sammy is an animal!" Odd, but that is the exact same words his soccer coach used last fall. Animal. I'm not sure if I should be proud or dismayed, but it does seem to be an accurate description of Sam in any competition.

I'll say this for Sam: he is not afraid. Some of the other kids danced around each other, waiting for the right time to make their move. Not Sam. As soon as he got the start signal he went for it, bam. I guess this surprised his opponents. Whatever works, eh?

Anyway, it was a good sports day all around for our family. After the tournament we went to the Sacred Heart School family picnic where the kids played the parents in softball. Joey had a great hit, first pitch, and I was thrilled for him. Then, to my surprise, Lindsey and Sam, neither of whom had ever played baseball before, also got base hits. At one point, the bases were loaded with Di Silvestris. That was a nice moment for me.

It is such a joy for a mother to see her children succeed, and I have seen a lot of that lately, not just on the sports field, either. All of the kids are doing well in school, and Joey in particular has made great strides of late. They are playing well together most of the time, some taking a leadership role, some accepting that leadership. They are taking more responsibility around the house and with a generally good attitude. It is wonderful to see.

Go team Di Silvestri!