Most parents enroll their child in a martial arts education because they want them to learn discipline, self-esteem, and confidence. Whether your child has become a student of judo, karate, or tae kwon do, the ultimate objective should always be to achieve a better body and mind through martial arts instruction. However, you may find yourself in a situation where after a few years of instruction, your child is begging to be allowed to quit.A parent may have a hard time deciding whether or not they would like to give their child carte blanche to quit their martial arts instruction. On the one hand, parents don’t want to force their kids to participate in anything that they don’t absolutely love – after all, our kids have enough on their plates between extracurricular activities and school, right? On the other hand, quitters never prosper, and allowing a child to up and quit could teach them the wrong lesson.To help you make your decision, here are some things to consider when you are trying to decide as to whether or not you should allow your child to quit their martial arts education.- Reasons Why – Before you make your decision, ask your child to write down a two-column list. One side should list the reasons why they think they should stick with martial arts and the other side should list reasons to quit. If the reasons to quit involve things like “not enough time for homework” or “want to try a different sport,” consider allowing your child to quit. If it lists things like “too hard” or “I’m not as good as the other kids,” then push them to stick it out.- Talk To Their Instructor – Consider talking to your child’s instructor if they want to quit the program. Perhaps the instructor can provide some insight as to why your child is no longer enthusiastic about their martial arts education. The instructor will be able to help you make the decision as to whether or not your child should be advised to continue further or to drop out.While it’s never a good idea to encourage your child to quit anything, there are always legitimate reasons as to why quitting can sometimes be a good thing. Remember, quitters never prosper. But neither do kids who are forced to stick with something they absolutely loathe. Kids need to be given some freedom – just enough so that they are free to pursue what they love, not what you think they should love.