Adults learning alongside young children, can it ever work?

There are clubs that offer “family” karate training, or mixed aged classes, i.e. adults AND children practising together.  Far be it from me to judge anyone's club, and if it works for them, great!  I just don't understand the learning objectives of mixed aged classes. I'm not talking about adults with teenagers and some 12 year olds, may possibly be physically strong and intellectually developed enough to cope. I'm referring to adults learning and practising karate with even younger children.

From time to time we receive enquiries from parents who wish to join our club with their child (often very young child).  When I explain we don’t run such classes they seem surprised, and sometimes even offended.

But am I missing something? Is there any real value in such classes?  I can understand a parent wanting to support a hesitant or reluctant child find their feet. I can even understand parents helping, by holding pads etc, but why does any parent think, they could possibly receive karate tuition appropriate for them in any of those circumstances?

I just don’t get it?

OK, they could stand next to their child and perform kihon, maybe.  They may also get away with learning the odd kata or two, but never to a particularly high  standard.  I just can’t see the logic behind their request?? The only thing that makes sense is if there is a class of adults and a class of kids practising, simultaneously, "side by side," in the same hall. I'm sure that happens and perhaps it works on some level.

It’s probably stating the obvious but, adults and children learn in different ways!  Age appropriate language is of less importance to a group of adults. Attention spans tend to be less in children, (although not always!) And warm up exercises; will the child be doing as much, and to the same level as their dad? 

But all that aside what about the activity itself, karate!  It’s about responding to physical violence, and training methods for adults are much more intense than for children, even teenagers.When receiving these bizarre requests I feel like saying, would you sit in a primary school class and expect to learn anything?

Maybe I’m missing something obvious, maybe I’ve got it all wrong? But karate is a serious physical activity with profound personal benefits, but those deeper meaningful benefits often only manifest themselves after many years of training.  

I totally accept that karate is great for kids, but surely only when they learn and practice within a group of their peers and not their parents.