As my 9-year-old and I walked into BJJ class last night, I was wondering what the atmosphere would be like. Even though the guys that I train with are great, it's a place to go to blow off steam and I didn't know how well they'd like a little guy being part of the mix. But I was about to find out...
The things is, last night would have been very cool for my son and me to just show up and train together. Instead, it was way more than that. It was wonderful for him to see a group of men that are comfortable being themselves. Men that are kind, but not soft. Men that are competitive, but not cruel. Men that are a little (or a lot) rough around the edges because they're too real not to be.
With all of the madness going on in the world, I'm very thankful for these men that are a good example for my son. And best of all, I get to call them friends
If you don't have a group like this in your life. Start looking. You need it more than you know... and so do your kids.