Auhor: Meredith Lyon of the Chicago Examiner.com
Everyone knows Dad’s have a soft spot for their little girls and are naturally protective regardless of how ‘grown up’ their girls may become. How do they feel when their daughters start throwing and taking punches? In this Father’s Day Special, we have some quotes from dads with daughters of varying ages, who are actively involved in martial arts.
“At first when the competition begins you are very apprehensive that she might get hurt. After the bell rings you begin to see the techniques that she has learned come into use and you become very impressed. I did not get to see a lot of her training skills until she completed her demo for her first black belt. I was quite impressed with her skill level as well as her confidence.” George Gibson, father of Alex age 19
Jack Lyons with daughter Morgan and John Dalton with daughter Christina. “There are many proud moments. Everything that she’s learning; the respect that she’s learning, the fact that she can stand there listening to an adult talk very loudly to her and can learn from that adult and not draw back. She’ll be handed things that are going to be difficult to get over [later in life] and she’ll be much more equipped to deal with those things. So if somebody talks strongly to her she’s not going to internalize it as much as I think she may have otherwise.” – John Dalton, father of Christina age 7
“I am really happy my two girls started martial arts early. They took to it immediately and haven't looked back. I figure my job is to raise my kids to be confident and successful adults. I believe strongly that their training will help them achieve this goal. My plan is to protect them while they are young and teach them what they need to know so they can protect themselves when they are adults. By the time they are 18 they should be able to handle anything short of WMD!” Trent Zilmer, father of Veronica age 12 and Genevieve age 11
Trent Zilmer with daughters Veronica and Genievive. Jack Lyons, (no relation to your examiner), tells a story of how a boy teased his daughter Morgan and tried to get her to prove her martial arts skills by beating him in a grappling match. Morgan maturely did not want to hurt the boy to prove herself.
“The boy still learned that you can not tell someone's abilities by looks, size, or gender. Morgan learned that her skills and confidence are part of her, no matter what anybody thinks. I can summarize my impression of how martial arts study has contributed to Morgan's being: schoolmates, friends, and family appreciate being with Morgan because of her self-confidence, interpersonal skills, discipline, and enjoyment of life that she has developed in large part through her martial arts training. I take comfort and pride in her abilities and motivation that will serve her well for her whole life.” Jack Lyons, father of Morgan, age 9
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