There is this retreat coming up and I want to test for my 2nd brown in Kenpo. How do I convince my parents?

Answer 1

I would check to see if there are going to be other females attending and also see if there are some adult females that are chaperons. You don't say how old you and if you have proved untrustworthy in the past or disappointed them in respect to certain choices or decisions you have made then I can understand them being reluctant to let you attend. If this is the case I would remember that they have your best interests at heart and you are now paying the price for bad choices in the past in some ways.

If the above is not the case then you may want to take the time to have them come and watch a class, talk to your instructor and other students and parents of students that might be attending. Sometimes parents are so busy they just drop their kids off and pick them up and almost never set foot in the dojo or talk to anyone there so they have no familiarity with them or anything to go on in making a decision like this.

Children are usually but not always the most important thing to parents. One thing I have learned is even that the ones that don't care for their kids like they should get just as upset or agitated when something happens to their child. So talk to your parents and get the information to them and help them make a smart decision and hope for the best.

Answer 2

Karate Chick -
First - Congratulations on making it to your brown belt. I am a female Black belt in Kenpo and know that it is a lot of hard work.
Have your parents supported you for your other belts?
Going to the retreat will be a lot of fun for you. You will be with your friends, (away from your parents) you will learn new cool stuff and get to test for a very important belt. If your parents are saying No to something this important to you. Its probably because they feel it isn't properly run. There needs to be several mothers to help guide the event. If it is a student's only event. I have to say that your parents are making the right decision by saying NO, I have been in your shoes. I went to the same kind of retreat. I don't want to go into details - let's just say I was hit on by my instructor (who was 15 years older than me). Looking at it now as an adult and school owner. I should have listened to my parents. A professional school owner would not make a teenage girl test at a retreat.

Good Luck