I’m sure I’ve mentioned this before, but Dynamo has ADHD. And is borderline high-functioning autistic. As you can guess, he’s not an easy kid to raise. I used to think it was just my inexperience; he’s my first and only and I had very little contact with or interest in kids before him. But I’ve [...]
Continue reading about Dynamo’s Challenge: Change, Autism and Martial Arts
Watching Dynamo spar is an exercise in frustration.
It’s damn hard to watch him spar. He’s still very afraid of being hit, despite being padded to the teeth. I’ve even had him get into gear and made him take some kicks and punches from me so he could get used to the sensation of being hit. [...]
President’s Challenge Update – Two weeks down, for a total of 3425 pts. I barely scraped in five days last week, thanks to the fact that housework counts as activity. Dynamo was down with a cold and kept changing his mind on whether he was staying with his dad or me, which meant my schedule [...]
When I was pregnant with Dynamo, I wondered if I’d really have the courage to protect him. If push came to shove, would I be too frightened to think of anything except my own safety?
Luckily, I’ve never had to find out. But I did get something of an answer one day when Dynamo was a [...]
in.teg.ri.ty n 1. honesty, incorruptibility. 2. wholeness, entirety.
–Oxford American Dictionary
Every martial art I’ve encountered promotes integrity. Honesty is one of the main cornerstones of the martial arts. While I don’t know any adult who entered the martial arts to learn or improve their integrity, many of us — including me — have enrolled our kids, [...]






