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Tim

@TimurNegru89,014 subscribers

Buyer's representative for property in Spain, Italy, France & Portugal. Founder @AffordiHome.

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Our son's teacher used to call us weekly with complaints. Last Friday during his parent/teacher check-in, she asked what we did to transform him. The answer: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ). It all started with him not being able to burn his additional energy. Our kid was and still is hyperactive, couldn't fall asleep before 12am/1am, fidgeted through every school lesson, constantly snappy with us and his teachers. Some of our friends were calling him the duracell bunny (in reference to the battery ad) and we were genuinely worried this was just who he was. We tried a few different sports as our idea was that he didn't have any activity that involved burning his energy. Football, swimming, running him around the park until dark. He'd come home exhausted but his mind would still be racing at bedtime. The energy was there, but nothing seemed to actually settle him. My brother has been training and coaching kids BJJ since he was young. He kept telling us to bring our son. Tbh, we were skeptical - how would a combat sport help a kid who already couldn't sit still? But we were desperate as school was getting worse and the nightly battles were exhausting everyone. So at 5 years old, we signed him up. The first 6 months, he started falling asleep faster and not just because he was tired (he'd been tired before), but because BJJ teaches you to control your body and your mind simultaneously. He was learning to actually settle himself. The 11pm bedtime battles turned into peaceful 9pm nights. But what really caught us off guard was the respect. Every single class - bow when you enter/when you leave, wait your turn, shake hands with your opponent, listen to your coach. It gets drilled in through pure repetition. Not lectures, not punishment..just practice. 100 times per class, every class, for years. His teachers also noticed the change. He could finally sit through lessons, pay attention, actually remember what was discussed. Homework became manageable because he'd developed the patience to learn. He was less snappy and more willing to listen. The hardest part were in the first couple of years as he wanted to quit constantly. The usual kids reasons - i'm tired of BJJ, I don't want to train anymore etc. There were nights we genuinely questioned if we were pushing him too hard, if we were doing the right thing. But we kept him going. My brother being his coach helped, but honestly it was just us trusting that something would click eventually. And then in year 4, it did. He found his training partner, made real friends at the gym. Suddenly he was asking when his next class was. Going to support his teammates at competitions even when he wasn't competing himself. This year, the transformation was complete. His teacher went from calling us weekly to pulling us aside asking what we did. The fidgety, unfocused kid who couldn't sit still was competing in tournaments, winning medals, excelling at school, and genuinely looking forward to training. Here's what we got wrong for years: we kept trying to calm him down. Turns out, he didn't need calming.. he needed somewhere to put that energy. Other sports just tired him out. BJJ gave him an outlet that required both physical exhaustion and mental focus. And here's the thing few people talk about: BJJ is teaching him to lose. Not avoid failure but to face it. He still gets frustrated sometimes, still has moments where the tears come after a tough roll or a competition loss. But he's getting better at it. He processes it faster now, gets back up quicker. Most kids' activities try to avoid failure or sugarcoat it. BJJ makes you face it every single class and there's no hiding from it. That resilience is slowly building, and it's showing up everywhere. Homework frustrations don't spiral like they used to. Mistakes are becoming learning opportunities instead of total meltdowns. And he's even getting better at maths due to his concentration levels improving. If your kid can't sit still, can't focus, struggles with sleep, and school is calling home weekly do give BJJ a shot before assuming it's just who they are. Not for the discipline but for the outlet. The discipline comes later. Here's my son at his last competition. That's the kid who couldn't sit still for 5 minutes.

Our son's teacher used to call us weekly with complaints. Last Friday during his parent/teacher check-in, she asked what we did to transform him. The answer: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ). It all started with him not being able to burn his additional energy. Our kid was and still is hyperactive, couldn't fall asleep before 12am/1am, fidgeted through every school lesson, constantly snappy with us and his teachers. Some of our friends were calling him the duracell bunny (in reference to the battery ad) and we were genuinely worried this was just who he was. We tried a few different sports as our idea was that he didn't have any activity that involved burning his energy. Football, swimming, running him around the park until dark. He'd come home exhausted but his mind would still be racing at bedtime. The energy was there, but nothing seemed to actually settle him. My brother has been training and coaching kids BJJ since he was young. He kept telling us to bring our son. Tbh, we were skeptical - how would a combat sport help a kid who already couldn't sit still? But we were desperate as school was getting worse and the nightly battles were exhausting everyone. So at 5 years old, we signed him up. The first 6 months, he started falling asleep faster and not just because he was tired (he'd been tired before), but because BJJ teaches you to control your body and your mind simultaneously. He was learning to actually settle himself. The 11pm bedtime battles turned into peaceful 9pm nights. But what really caught us off guard was the respect. Every single class - bow when you enter/when you leave, wait your turn, shake hands with your opponent, listen to your coach. It gets drilled in through pure repetition. Not lectures, not punishment..just practice. 100 times per class, every class, for years. His teachers also noticed the change. He could finally sit through lessons, pay attention, actually remember what was discussed. Homework became manageable because he'd developed the patience to learn. He was less snappy and more willing to listen. The hardest part were in the first couple of years as he wanted to quit constantly. The usual kids reasons - i'm tired of BJJ, I don't want to train anymore etc. There were nights we genuinely questioned if we were pushing him too hard, if we were doing the right thing. But we kept him going. My brother being his coach helped, but honestly it was just us trusting that something would click eventually. And then in year 4, it did. He found his training partner, made real friends at the gym. Suddenly he was asking when his next class was. Going to support his teammates at competitions even when he wasn't competing himself. This year, the transformation was complete. His teacher went from calling us weekly to pulling us aside asking what we did. The fidgety, unfocused kid who couldn't sit still was competing in tournaments, winning medals, excelling at school, and genuinely looking forward to training. Here's what we got wrong for years: we kept trying to calm him down. Turns out, he didn't need calming.. he needed somewhere to put that energy. Other sports just tired him out. BJJ gave him an outlet that required both physical exhaustion and mental focus. And here's the thing few people talk about: BJJ is teaching him to lose. Not avoid failure but to face it. He still gets frustrated sometimes, still has moments where the tears come after a tough roll or a competition loss. But he's getting better at it. He processes it faster now, gets back up quicker. Most kids' activities try to avoid failure or sugarcoat it. BJJ makes you face it every single class and there's no hiding from it. That resilience is slowly building, and it's showing up everywhere. Homework frustrations don't spiral like they used to. Mistakes are becoming learning opportunities instead of total meltdowns. And he's even getting better at maths due to his concentration levels improving. If your kid can't sit still, can't focus, struggles with sleep, and school is calling home weekly do give BJJ a shot before assuming it's just who they are. Not for the discipline but for the outlet. The discipline comes later. Here's my son at his last competition. That's the kid who couldn't sit still for 5 minutes.

373,208 просмотров

Montserrat Monastery, about an hour from Barcelona. Everyone queues for Sagrada Familia where it costs ~€30 and you’re packed shoulder to shoulder with tourists, but Catalans come here instead and it’s free for residents and €11 for tourists. It’s 1,000 years old, built into a mountain at 1,200 meters, with 70 Benedictine monks still living here and one of Europe’s oldest boys’ choirs. The Black Madonna (Virgin of Montserrat) is Catalunya’s patron saint, so this is where locals come for baptisms, first communions, and Christmas with their families. On a clear day you can see all of Catalunya from the top and sometimes even Mallorca. Happy holidays to you all.

Montserrat Monastery, about an hour from Barcelona. Everyone queues for Sagrada Familia where it costs ~€30 and you’re packed shoulder to shoulder with tourists, but Catalans come here instead and it’s free for residents and €11 for tourists. It’s 1,000 years old, built into a mountain at 1,200 meters, with 70 Benedictine monks still living here and one of Europe’s oldest boys’ choirs. The Black Madonna (Virgin of Montserrat) is Catalunya’s patron saint, so this is where locals come for baptisms, first communions, and Christmas with their families. On a clear day you can see all of Catalunya from the top and sometimes even Mallorca. Happy holidays to you all.

127,844 просмотров

Spain can also be like this. That’s 2 hours away from Barcelona by the way.

Spain can also be like this. That’s 2 hours away from Barcelona by the way.

52,330 просмотров

Two weeks in Catalunya and Southern France: Monastery in the mountains one day, skiing the Pyrenees the next, swimming in the Mediterranean on first day of the year, and eating unlimited lobster at a buffet in a bowling alley. All within a few hours’ drive of where we live in Costa Brava and one of the reasons we chose this place to settle down. Amazing time with friends and family but back to grinding now. Let’s goo

Two weeks in Catalunya and Southern France: Monastery in the mountains one day, skiing the Pyrenees the next, swimming in the Mediterranean on first day of the year, and eating unlimited lobster at a buffet in a bowling alley. All within a few hours’ drive of where we live in Costa Brava and one of the reasons we chose this place to settle down. Amazing time with friends and family but back to grinding now. Let’s goo

12,929 просмотров

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Getting pulled over in Italy be like..

Tim

1,013,210 просмотров • 8 месяцев назад

My wife had to leave for an emergency and all she said to me was “Fold the dough”
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