M
Morgan
Hi Everyone! So glad I found this forum. I have a super athletic 4 year old boy. He started breakdancing at three after watching YouTube breakdancing tutorials. He had a beautiful headspin when I asked his pediatrician about spending so much time on his head. He told me he needed to stop due to possible neck injuries. I thought gymnastics would be the closest "safe" route for him. After a lot of searching I found a gym with a men's competitive team and some incredible coaches. He's on the wait-list for what is essentially preteam and doing private lessons weekly for the summer. He has pullover/back hip circle, working on handsprings and not falling over on handstands, he can do a headstand but again, I was told to try to get him off his head so I'm not sure that's good. I am happy we have a place for him and he has a set of skills he can work on.
The only thing I wonder about is his age. He is so young (turned 4 in Feb) and he just wants to show people his "tricks.". He is a smart boy. He loves bugs, he is starting to sound words out, loves Legos and horses. He is absolutely full of potential as far as a gymnast. No one would ever question that and I'll do everything I can to help him reach his dreams. But he has all these other great qualities too. How do we help these kids find themselves when they are so focussed on these specific skills?
My other question is in regards to development. The gym he's at trains lots of boys and I know they know what they're doing. But after he goes there (one class and one hour of private a week....I should add he also does parkour one hour a week) he is home doing bar and rings in the backyard for hours a day. Basically, are there are other four year olds doing this much physical activity? The ped said gymnastics is okay but I wonder about the amount of time he's doing it. In terms of development is this too much?
Thanks for any advice. I've lurked a bit over this past 6 months or so and im so happy to be here. We are now spending a lot of time and thought on gymnastics so it's great to have a place to talk about that!
The only thing I wonder about is his age. He is so young (turned 4 in Feb) and he just wants to show people his "tricks.". He is a smart boy. He loves bugs, he is starting to sound words out, loves Legos and horses. He is absolutely full of potential as far as a gymnast. No one would ever question that and I'll do everything I can to help him reach his dreams. But he has all these other great qualities too. How do we help these kids find themselves when they are so focussed on these specific skills?
My other question is in regards to development. The gym he's at trains lots of boys and I know they know what they're doing. But after he goes there (one class and one hour of private a week....I should add he also does parkour one hour a week) he is home doing bar and rings in the backyard for hours a day. Basically, are there are other four year olds doing this much physical activity? The ped said gymnastics is okay but I wonder about the amount of time he's doing it. In terms of development is this too much?
Thanks for any advice. I've lurked a bit over this past 6 months or so and im so happy to be here. We are now spending a lot of time and thought on gymnastics so it's great to have a place to talk about that!