Parents Gymnastics is a priviledge, not a right!

[gwenmom]

DD is learning today that if she doesn't not follow the rules at home/school, she doesn't get to do gymnastics! We are now taking an unscheduled week off.

 

[thegymfreak]

Ah, the unexpected weeks off can either be the best ones or the worst- in this case its the bad side of the scenario.

 

[gymmomtotwo]

Sometimes being a parent sucks!

 

[Quadqueen]

yep, it stinks alright. Threatening "no gymnastics" is about the only thing that gets my daughter to listen sometimes. And I have said more than one time, "gymnastics is a privilege, not a right!"

 

[MaryA]

Good for you for following through. That's one of the hardest parts of parenting, but I'm sure we all know parents who don't follow through, and we know the kind of behavior that results. I am not a mean mommy by any stretch of the imagination, but I am a mom who doesn't make empty threats, which means that I'm a mom who doesn't have to make threats very often!

 

[gwenmom]

yep, it stinks alright. Threatening "no gymnastics" is about the only thing that gets my daughter to listen sometimes. And I have said more than one time, "gymnastics is a privilege, not a right!"

Same thing here and this week we had to make good on it. The horror on her face was amazing to see.

 

[txgymfan]

None of my business but I have to ask. What did she do?

 

[gwenmom]

She and her brother ( and a couple other kids) decided to pick on one little girl on the bus. I am making it abundantly clear that anything bullying/teasing is completely unacceptable.

 

[txgymfan]

Teasing is a big issue for me. On behalf of the little girl, thank you! How is she doing with out gym?

 

[gwenmom]

She is devastated. She was supposed to have her private lesson tonight and was in tears.

But I felt the need to drive the point home with both my kids that it was not acceptable and that even if they weren't calling the little girl names (the other kids apparently took it much farther than just telling her to shut up and are suspended from the bus where this happened for two days) they participated and did not tell their friends to stop. I actually drove to the School and picked them up I was so upset with their behavior.

 

[Iwannabemargo]

if more parents were like you Gwenmom, the world would be a nicer place, stick to your guns and you wont have to do it very often.

 

[my4buffaloes]

We have had to take unexpected time off before as well. It improved things around the house incredibly.

 

[mimi]

Kudos to you for taking action. Too many parents have "not my child" syndrome. I always say, as parents, we can't always control our children's actions, but we can certainly control our reaction to it. I know it is a lot harder to impose a consequence than it is to do nothing--parenting is definitely HARD!

 

[bookworm]

When I first saw your post I wondered what the heck she did to warrant being pulled out of the gym for a week...but I totally agree with you..bullying is unacceptable and needs to be dealt with immediately. My daughter was bullied in elementary school and the school wanted MY daughter to go to "resolution workshops" and I put my foot down and said , "no way either you deal with the bully or I'm pulling her out" . There was no way I was subjecting my daughter to kumbaya sessions with her bully...fast forward , the bully's parents pulled HER from that school because they thought it was ridiculous for them to be expected to control their daughter's behavior! Good riddance I say....

 

[gwenmom]

What made me SO mad was that my son has been picked on at school and knows how it feels!!!!!!! And DD just followed along for the ride doing what her older brother told her to. I don't get angry very often but they knew I was furious and they now know exactly why.

 

[LizzieLac]

Thumbs up! I think you are my hero!

 

[bookworm]

Gwenmom so good of you to get a handle on this behavior now so your kids will know what expected behavior is...the bully I mentioned in my prior post, whose parents didn't want to deal with her behavior continues to have behavior issues to this day..we heard over Christmas break that she had been arrested at her college for "disorderly conduct" (even looked her up on Mugshots.com to make sure it wasn't just a rumor and there she was in all her glory!) ...some things never change

 

[gwenmom]

Thanks everyone. It was a tough day yesterday. I am pretty sure I got thru to DD. DS is almost 10 and starting to get the pre-teen/teenager attitude so it's a little harder to tell. I'm hoping he understands. I guess only time will tell.

 

[Linsul]

I was fully prepared to dislike this as a method of punishment. In the case of nipping bullyish behavior in the bud though you gotta stop worlds and that includes gym. Go go parent driven behavior modification! Make an impression with your standards and stick to your guns. Good for you in marking this as a non option in behavior, your daughter will be better for it I'm sure. I've been where you are myself with my own daughter and did the same.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

Sometimes being a parent sucks!

not really. what we must do as parents is a necessary evil...to them. not to society as a whole.