Hi everyone,
Here’s something I see all the time…
A child starts something new—excited, motivated, ready to go.
Then a few weeks later…
They want to quit.
It happens in sports, school, activities… even things they once loved.
And most of the time, parents are left wondering:
“What changed?”
One lesson for this week
It’s usually not because they don’t like it anymore.
It’s because it got hard.
That moment—right there—is where most kids quit.
Not at the beginning when they are White Belt.
Not at the end when they are a Black Belt.
But in the middle… when it stops being easy and starts requiring effort.
What most parents do (and why it backfires)
Out of love, parents often:
Let them quit to avoid stress
Switch them to something “they might like more”
Try to remove the difficulty
And while it comes from a good place…
It teaches an unintended lesson:
When things get hard… we stop.
A better approach
Instead of removing the challenge…
Help them push through just a little longer.
Not forever. Not with pressure.
Just enough to experience this:
“I didn’t want to do it… but I did it anyway, and I’m glad I did!”
That’s where:
discipline is built
resilience grows
confidence becomes real
What this looks like in real life
In martial arts, we see this phase all the time.
A student starts out excited.
Then they hit a point where:
techniques feel harder
progress slows down
it’s not new anymore
That’s usually when they think they want to quit.
But something interesting happens when they stick with it…
They break through.
And on the other side of that struggle is a different kid:
more confident
more focused
more resilient
Try this this week
When your child says, “I want to quit”…
Instead of saying yes right away, try this:
“Let’s give it a little more time.”
Set a small commitment:
2 more weeks
a few more classes
one more effort cycle
Make it manageable.
Make it achievable.
But most importantly…
Don’t let “hard” be the reason they stop.
A quick note
This is one of the biggest reasons parents choose martial arts.
It gives kids a structured way to:
face challenges
work through frustration
build real perseverance
If you’ve been thinking about getting your child started, this is a great time.
As a thank you for being a newsletter reader, we’re offering a 2-week trial so your child can experience it firsthand.
Thanks for being here, and if you found this helpful, feel free to share it with another parent who might benefit.
Master Frank Panzek
Lions Panzek Martial Arts
27W239 Geneva Rd, Winfield, IL
(630) 797-6698
WWW.PANZEK.COM
P.S. Know a parent whose child is going through the “I want to quit” phase?
Feel free to forward this to them.