@JMCSD, @Warpstone made my point very well.
I am glad to hear that you are happy with your martial arts training, but I stand by my statement that no 12 year-old should have a black belt. A junior black belt? Sure, but to say that a 12 year-old is capable of understanding all of the concepts that are part of being a black belt? I’m not buying it.
It sounds as though your teacher, while I disagree with his promoting a 12 year-old to black belt, was an excellent teacher who was not just in for the money. It is great that you were able to get great training from a good teacher. I have visited dozens and dozens of dojos in two states and I will tell you, teachers such as yours are the exception – not the rule. I promise you that none of the instructors I ever studied with were in it for the money. They were in it because they loved their art and loved being able to teach it to others.
I also stand by my statement that Hapkido – and Aikido for that matter – are good styles for kids. While it is true that it is not a sparring style like Tae Kwon Do and many other styles popular with kids, I think it is a great style for kids to learn. It is a very powerful style that is good for self-defense, and I think there is something to be said for not teaching a kid to hit to earn points.
This is just my opinion, and I apologize if it offended you, but I do stand by what I said.