Parents Another WWYD?

[momnipotent]

I am just full of these lately...So, I would really like to leave the gym during one of my DS's practices. I have been staying because 1. he wants me to stay 2. we drive so far to the gym that it doesn't make sense to leave with practice being only 1.5 hours long, and 3. he had a recent injury so I am a bit nervous to leave. However, for a variety of reasons, it is driving me a bit nutty to watch. Seems like a no-brainer, right? Take a hike mom! Well, here's the catch-the gym is so small and the group so small that there is only one adult (the coach) in the gym during this time. I totally trust this coach but do not like leaving with only one adult present for a variety of reasons, the main one being what if something happens to the coach and there is no other adult around? This is a younger group of kids and I am not confident (partially due to the set-up of the gym) that any of them could even find a phone to call for help if needed. I know the chance of anything happening is small, and I could go sit in another room or in my car, so there is that option I guess-at least DS could run out and get me if needed but I would rather try to do something productive with my time. Thoughts?

 

[Aussie_coach]

It is not good practice to have only one adult present in the building with a group of kids. If there is an emergency the coach needs to be able to deal with it and keep the rest of the kids under control. If something happens there is no other adult to back the coach up. But, of course, that is the gyms issue and not yours. You have to decide what you want for your child.

 

[Popcorn]

That is a concern. There should never be only one adult. And what happens when your DS's hours increase?

Are there bigger gyms or other options?

 

[skschlag]

I think you have to talk to the gym and let them know that this is not acceptable. There should always be 2 adults present in the gym. How long is there just one coach present? I know at our gym, there could be just one coach present for the last 15 minutes, but he is with teenagers, and often one of the other coaches will hang around until that time is up. It just isn't safe.

 

[GikiGirl]

One adult really isn't safe...at our gym, if a child gets hurt and needs immediate medical care, a coach rides with that child in the ambulance. It's super rare, but it happens. What then?

 

[UnoMas]

That doesn't sound safe to me. I would not leave. Too many bad things can happen in that scenario.

 

[momto2js]

We have a similar problem but it only happens occasionally. In our case, our gym is in two buildings. Sometimes only one group is left in the smaller of the 2. There is help 1/2 a block away, but it is not ideal. Even if the other adult is a "greeter" or cleaning type person I would feel better about it.

 

[Along4theRide]

We left our 1st gym a while back for similar reasons. They had 2 adults in the building, but both were teaching classes. Whenever other stuff needed special attention during class (ice pack, package delivery, random parent needs), my dd's coach would stop class to deal with it....and that seemed to happen alot! I think it's important to have someone else present at the gym that isn't teaching... Office staff, volunteer parent, whoever.

 

[MommaLove]

Or coaches are too busy coaching their children. Their favorites and also being on their cell phones. My daughters floor routine is horrible we compete in January


MommaLove

 

[MommaLove]

Our coaches *!


MommaLove

 

[cbifoja]

Yikes! Our coaches must leave their cell phones in their lockers. Absolutely no cell phone usage in the gym.

 

[MILgymFAM]

I will toss out the opposite perspective since everyone seems to be on one side. Both of my girls separate gyms have times when there is only one employee in the building. Parents are free to stay if they want, but often parents leave. I asked my younger daughter today what she would do if the coach got hurt. She said she would call 911. I asked if she knew where the phone would be. She said she did. My older daughter has a cell phone and knows what to do. In the case of my younger daughter the other HC lives only a couple of minutes away so they could get there quickly if called. If the coach was knocked out or something the kids would have to wait for an ambulance, so I guess I could see the concern there, but I honestly never put a second thought into it before this thread, and I still can't work myself up about it too much. What are the odds,really, in that small amount of time. My daughters are 11 & 14 though, so maybe I would have a bigger problem if they were much younger, like younger than 6 or 7. Both my girls gyms are really small. Like really small. No office staff, and both have less than ten coaches even if you combined them. There is just no way they could afford to pay someone to sit there just to sit there.