Any Reluctant Moms of Gymnasts?

[JumpyTheFrog]

Tigger has been doing gymnastics for one hour per week for almost a year. The last two weeks, his coach has been complimenting him a lot. This week, he told Tigger "Right now it's just fun for you, but you could take it a lot farther if you want." I told Tigger that his coach probably meant he might be invited to try out for the team sometime. (His coach for class is the boys' team coach and won an award for being a coach of the year in our state last year.)

 

A few months ago, DH and I had (sort-of) decided that we didn't want to spend the time and money for Tigger to join a team, if he were ever invited. Now I'm wondering if we are going to have to revisit that decision. The last couple weeks Tigger has worked much harder at gymnastics, doing almost every move carefully instead of rushing through and goofing around in between. He's a very active, somewhat distractible boy, so I am very pleased to see him being both self-motivated and working so hard at something (and if you've read my other thread this week, without arguing with me or his coach about anything!).

 

The coach also told me this week that Little Guy (age 3, started about two months ago) is "really good." He said that Tigger "is good too" but that Little Guy is a daredevil, more so than Tigger (which is definitely true). We had intended to wait until Little Guy turned 4 to start him, but he had been asking for his own class for about nine months, so we finally agreed to sign him up.

 

If we do agree to let Tigger join the team (if invited), I know Little Guy will want to do it when he is older. Both are very athletic and Little Guy is more "physical" than Tigger. It wouldn't surprise me if he winds up being even better at sports.

 

Are there any gymnastics parents here that originally only wanted their kids to take rec classes, but decided that being a team would be best for their kids?

[Oak Knoll Mom]

Yep. We started in the homeschool class one hour a week at a gym five minutes from our house. Really low commitment on my part. Fast forward a year and a half and we're at the gym 3x a week for 3 hours each time and the gym has moved 20 minutes away. Making the commitment and keeping him in the gym is one of the best things I've ever done. I am happy that I get to do this for him because gymnastics has been such a good thing for him.

[JumpyTheFrog]

Making the commitment and keeping him in the gym is one of the best things I've ever done. I am happy that I get to do this for him because gymnastics has been such a good thing for him.

 

 

Were you initially unsure if it would be a good idea? When did you realize that it was a good choice?

[Jean in Newcastle]

Started out reluctant and determined to keep it recreational. Dd did very well and I agreed to let her go farther. I started to get caught up in the excitement and team mentality. Then reality hit that there was no way we could afford to continue - time wise, money wise, energy wise. Pulling the plug was extremely hard on dd but we had no choice. I still feel guilt.

[JumpyTheFrog]

Then reality hit that there was no way we could afford to continue - time wise, money wise, energy wise. Pulling the plug was extremely hard on dd but we had no choice. I still feel guilt.

 

Jean, do you wish you had never let her join the team rather than let her join and later have to pull her?

 

 

[Jean in Newcastle]

Jean, do you wish you had never let her join the team rather than let her join and later have to pull her?

 

 

Because she made friends and was making it part of her identity.

[gracefor5]

Boy have I had these discussions in my head a million times! :). Our daughter has been doing gymnastics at a serious but non-competitive gym for 5 years. She has an aptitude for it and absolutely loves it! They have a demonstration team, that performs at fairs and such 3 or 4 times a year, which she joined a couple of years ago but she has occasionally voiced a desire to compete. My husband and I discussed it and there is a gym, much closer to our house, that she could join and she would be asked to be in on the comp team (they have several levels). We have decided against it. Between the added expense that we really can't afford, I worry about the toll that gymnastics puts on their body and that gym competes A LOT! My girl is a perfectionist and she would push herself until her body broke if she didn't have the trick right! But it's a very hard decision. Obviously, I still think about this. I know she would love it and competion really builds character, focus, dedication, hard work. It's so hard to know what's the right decision. I would say, for my child, joining and then quitting would be very, very hard. She gets very attached to things and people and it would bother her to have to leave if the money became an issue. That was one of the top reasons we decided against it. She's our youngest and when college starts for the olders, who knows what we will have to do!

Whew! Sorry so long. Obviously I still process this issue. Lol! Good luck with your decision.

[nono]

I am really hoping my ds takes to baseball this year. We've already had the discussion that baseball (which he's asked to play) will have to replace gymnastics. The cost for baseball is so much less than gymnastics around here. And the ball field is within walking distance. ;)

[DragonFaerie]

My daughter did competitive gymnastics for almost six years. She started basic classes at 4 years old and was a two-time state champion at age 6. We moved to Texas so she could train at a top gym where she was training for level 8 at age 9 and putting in 24 hours per week in the gym. Then one day, she was done. The skills were getting really hard (and really scary) and the frustration was more than she could take. Letting her quit was really, really hard for me. Mom friends whose daughters are elite-level gymnasts were actually mad at me because I was letting her "throw away" real talent. But, DD wasn't happy anymore and that was more important.

 

However, neither of us regret her time in gymnastics. The things she learned there, determination, commitment, lessons about being healthy, physically being so strong and flexible, have all helped her in every other aspect of her life. She knows how to work through difficult or scary situations. Her strength and flexibility have allowed her an easy transition into dance (she's starting pointe after only a year of ballet). And she is still proud of what she accomplished and the skills she can still do (she was walking on her hands for the teachers at school last week; LOL). It was definitely worth it.

[skimomma]

My 9 yo is now in her third year on team. I do regret allowing her to start and we are working on an eventual "exit plan." I really had no idea what we were getting into. We have a pretty low-key team so the financial and time commitments are nowhere near what I know is normal at other gyms. However, it is still quite disruptive to our family time and difficult financially. Especially the travel to meets. Another factor for us is that dd has changed quite a bit since she first began. It turns out she is going to be quite tall which was not apparent when she started. She is already struggling with the height issues and it will only get worse. Without prompting from us, she has come to the conclusion that she will not be able to continue into the higher levels. She for sure wants to finish out this year and probably one more, but she is experimenting with other physical activities to transition to when she decides to leave the gym for good. Right now, she is still enjoying it and has a lot of fun with her teammates. It is going to be a hard decision for her. I am secretly glad that she is coming to this on her own because I am not OK with the upper level team commitment, risk of injury, or cost.

[Lolly]

My 9 yo is now in her third year on team. I do regret allowing her to start and we are working on an eventual "exit plan." I really had no idea what we were getting into. We have a pretty low-key team so the financial and time commitments are nowhere near what I know is normal at other gyms. However, it is still quite disruptive to our family time and difficult financially. Especially the travel to meets. Another factor for us is that dd has changed quite a bit since she first began. It turns out she is going to be quite tall which was not apparent when she started. She is already struggling with the height issues and it will only get worse. Without prompting from us, she has come to the conclusion that she will not be able to continue into the higher levels. She for sure wants to finish out this year and probably one more, but she is experimenting with other physical activities to transition to when she decides to leave the gym for good. Right now, she is still enjoying it and has a lot of fun with her teammates. It is going to be a hard decision for her. I am secretly glad that she is coming to this on her own because I am not OK with the upper level team commitment, risk of injury, or cost.

 

 

FYI, lots of tall gymnasts really take to swimming or diving. See it all the time!

[Jean in Newcastle]

My dd would still like to grow up to be a gymnastics coach. And she'd be a great one. But (as I said up thread) we can't afford to have her in gymnastics. Then recently we discovered that she has a tumor in her eye - she's supposed to avoid activities that involve G forces. Well, gymnastics at the upper levels have a lot of force in spins, turns and landings. And of course the risk of impact if someone falls. This is another confirmation for me personally that we really did need to take her out even though we didn't know all this at the time.

[speedmom4]

I wasn't interested in ds becoming a competitive gymnast but over time I began to see that it wasn't about what I wanted but what was best for ds. Gymnastics has helped my son so much. He has learned so much discipline and self confidence. I wouldn't discount a competitive team until you have first hand experience, it might surprise you!

 

Good luck!

 

Elise in NC

[cin]

We are facing this right now. DD8 is REALLY REALLY good. But we want it to remain recreational. They want her on the team, and she is doing routines with the 'big kids'. Yeah, she has talent, but even at 8 yrs, she comes home from gymnastics and is taking ibuprofen for the next 24-36 hours.

 

DD11 has been taking karate this past year and dd8 really wants to follow her big sister, and we may take advantage of that. They do have competitions but overall the sport is cheaper. And the competitions are closer, and not team oriented, so we can opt out if we choose to.

[DragonFaerie]

We are facing this right now. DD8 is REALLY REALLY good. But we want it to remain recreational. They want her on the team, and she is doing routines with the 'big kids'. Yeah, she has talent, but even at 8 yrs, she comes home from gymnastics and is taking ibuprofen for the next 24-36 hours.

 

DD11 has been taking karate this past year and dd8 really wants to follow her big sister, and we may take advantage of that. They do have competitions but overall the sport is cheaper. And the competitions are closer, and not team oriented, so we can opt out if we choose to.

 

 

This was my daughter, too. When I was having to give my 9-year-old an ibuprofen with her vitamins at breakfast each morning, it was obviously getting a little much. I still wouldn't trade her experience for anything, though.

[Oak Knoll Mom]

 

Were you initially unsure if it would be a good idea? When did you realize that it was a good choice?

 

 

Yes, we were initially opposed to the idea--we didn't even consider it when he was first asked to join the team. He was persistent, though, so we finally let him join. The biggest factor for us was the driving time to and from the gym. Since it was only 5 minutes from our house we figured we'd go for it. Two months later the gym moved 20-25 minutes away. I was ready to make him quit right then and there, but we were able to work out a carpool with our neighbor and decided to let him keep with it. But, I still had a pretty bad attitude about the whole thing. :glare:

 

Two things happened that changed my mind. First, the gym was closed over Thanksgiving and he missed two practices. Some annoying behaviors like whining and complaining came out again in full force by the time he missed that second workout. It suddenly hit me that we had not been dealing with those issues as much in a long time. I'm guessing that the physical activity is really helping his mental mindset. Second, he has had two meets since he started and at both meets he has set goals and reached them. It's been great to see this once sullen, angry, lacking-in-motivation child blossom into a happy, focused, motivated one.

 

The other day he was complaining and whining and my DH asked him (very light heartedy), "What does Coach Miles do when you talk to him like that?" My son looked shocked, started laughing and said, "I don't talk to Coach like that." My DH responded, "Exactly. You know how to control yourself. You need to do it here at home too." :D

[speedmom4]

 

 

Yes, we were initially opposed to the idea--we didn't even consider it when he was first asked to join the team. He was persistent, though, so we finally let him join. The biggest factor for us was the driving time to and from the gym. Since it was only 5 minutes from our house we figured we'd go for it. Two months later the gym moved 20-25 minutes away. I was ready to make him quit right then and there, but we were able to work out a carpool with our neighbor and decided to let him keep with it. But, I still had a pretty bad attitude about the whole thing. :glare:

 

Two things happened that changed my mind. First, the gym was closed over Thanksgiving and he missed two practices. Some annoying behaviors like whining and complaining came out again in full force by the time he missed that second workout. It suddenly hit me that we had not been dealing with those issues as much in a long time. I'm guessing that the physical activity is really helping his mental mindset. Second, he has had two meets since he started and at both meets he has set goals and reached them. It's been great to see this once sullen, angry, lacking-in-motivation child blossom into a happy, focused, motivated one.

 

The other day he was complaining and whining and my DH asked him (very light heartedy), "What does Coach Miles do when you talk to him like that?" My son looked shocked, started laughing and said, "I don't talk to Coach like that." My DH responded, "Exactly. You know how to control yourself. You need to do it here at home too." :D

 

This is exactly how my ds is when he has a break from gym. He can't sit still and starts bothering his siblings. We all long for him to head back to the gym to let all of that energy out.

 

Elise in NC

[ByGrace3]

We are another reluctant gymnastics family. :) I started dd in gymnastics at 2 because she was the kid scared to play on the playground. I just wanted to increase her balance and self confidence. Well...fast forward. She is 7 and training level 4. This last level move was a hard one for us. It increased practice hours from 3 a week to 9. Now she goes 3 days a week/ 3 hours at a time. It is a big time and financial commitment. We struggled with it, and prayed long and hard. We ultimately decided we would take each year and each level as an individual commitment. As long as dd loves it, it is beneficial to her, and the cost and time sacrifices are not too detrimental to our family, we will continue. A few times a year I ask her about her commitment and offer for her to try out any other sport or activity. I don't know how long she will stay in gym, but it has been wonderful for her so far and as of this point I am very glad for the experience.

 

Now dd2 started gymnastics 2 weeks ago. I waited until she was almost three to start even though she has been begging for almost a year mostly because I know she will be good. And as I expected, after her second class the coach told me, "she won't take very long to move up." ugh. She is 2! I was expecting it though. And we know what to expect in the lower levels at least.

 

We have a great gym, good coaches, and all in all gymnastics has been a good experience. But I do encourage you to go into it with eyes open--know the time and cost commitment. Make informed decisions.

 

Good Luck!