The second option

Following the ballet lesson, my son's next class to try out was judo.  This well known Japanese martial art was derived from Jujitsu, the art for either attacking others or defending oneself.  For little kids, they learn about falling so they won't get hurt, building skills and respect, as well as defensive moves.  I like the idea that they teach kids to grapple and wrestle versus strike and kicking. 

My son was super eager to try judo after watching a bit of the sport with my husband.  So, after getting a recommendation from my husband's coworker who has practiced judo for many years, we headed to a dojo (place where they practice judo) in Setagaya for a trial class.  It was very far, but we felt the personal recommendation was worth the trip for a trial class.

Setagaya Judo Club had a uniform for my son to wear during the trial.  It was so cute to see him in the white clothing, along with all the other kiddos.  I immediately noticed that the class was almost equal girls and boys.  This made me very happy to see girls and boys represented as the skills learned in judo are important for everyone.

The class began with several stretching exercises, followed by some runs of forward rolls and backward rolls.  My son was so excited to use balancing skills along with momentum.  There were things that came easy and things that really challenged him.  It was wonderful to watch as a parent - him pushing himself while having fun. 

While I admittedly was a bit nervous taking him to a martial art class, I left feeling that judo would be a very good thing for my very gentle son to take.  Between the physical demands to the respect aspects, I now feel like it would lay a good foundation for him in anything he would pursue in the future.

Now it is up to my son to decide.  Will he take ballet?  Or will he take judo?  Or will he choose door number 3?