The Bully Update

I don't know if it's the age, or what- but Oliver is obsessed with "bullies". He is always talking about his "team" and their recess escapades to find and stop the bullies. It is hilarious to listen to and when it's our neighbor's turn to drive the carpool, her husband always asks her to get the "bully update." One day, when she asked about them, he answered, "Well, it turns out...Bullies are actually pretty hard to find." Seems he was quite disappointed. I can't remember the rest of the story- I was laughing too hard. Next time I'll have to take notes.

I didn't sign Oliver up for soccer this season. Although he has spent almost every Saturday and numerous nights of his short life on the field, he wasn't very interested in the game last season. He loved interacting with the team or discussing with teammates on the sidelines how they were going to win the game, but didn't do much on the field. While I tried to figure out what to do, the deadline for signing him up came and went. I was relieved when he brought home a flyer on the first day of school advertising a karate class. It was cheap and had very little commitment.

As I watched the first class, I have to admit I felt a little disappointment. I love soccer almost as much as my girls, I think, and as I watched Oliver listening to his instructors- completely focused- I realized that karate might be the sport for him.

Let me qualify that. It's actually Kung-Fu. In fact, it's the "Chuck Norris Community Outreach Program" that teaches something that, according to them, most closely resembles Kung-Fu. They compare it to what is done on the movie, "Karate Kid." Yeah, it's kind of funny. Anyway, they spent a lot of time on the first day communicating with the kids how important it is to only use the moves when appropriate- i.e. not at school on the playground. I think Oliver really took that to heart because when I asked him after-wards what he thought, he said, "It was good, but man, I wish I could use that on bullies." I guess it's a good thing he hasn't found any yet.