kandkfunk
Proud Parent
If the present you could go back in time and give the past you one piece of advice when your child first started their gymanstics journey, what would that advice be?
For me, I think it would be the saying I learned here on Chalkbucket that gymnastics is a marathon, not a sprint. I have recently heard complaining from preteam parents at our gym about their kids not advancing quickly enough or not being treated the same or getting the same opportunities as another child. I can see my former self in those parents and it makes me sad. I wish I would have realized sooner that this journey is my child's journey and not their friend's or teammates. Her path will be different and that is OK. Of all the girls my DD started competing with, there are only 2 of them left in the sport. It didn't matter that she wasn't moved up at the same rate as her teammates or that she scored lower than most of them for the majority of her career. After almost 13 years of gymnastics and 7 competitive years under her belt, she has now made it to a level that very few kids can claim. She will be competing level 8 this season. She may not go on to college or win any more state titles, but her accomplishments are her own and nobody can take those away from her. If I would have known just a smidgen of what I know now, I think our ride would have been a lot less bumpy.
For me, I think it would be the saying I learned here on Chalkbucket that gymnastics is a marathon, not a sprint. I have recently heard complaining from preteam parents at our gym about their kids not advancing quickly enough or not being treated the same or getting the same opportunities as another child. I can see my former self in those parents and it makes me sad. I wish I would have realized sooner that this journey is my child's journey and not their friend's or teammates. Her path will be different and that is OK. Of all the girls my DD started competing with, there are only 2 of them left in the sport. It didn't matter that she wasn't moved up at the same rate as her teammates or that she scored lower than most of them for the majority of her career. After almost 13 years of gymnastics and 7 competitive years under her belt, she has now made it to a level that very few kids can claim. She will be competing level 8 this season. She may not go on to college or win any more state titles, but her accomplishments are her own and nobody can take those away from her. If I would have known just a smidgen of what I know now, I think our ride would have been a lot less bumpy.