Flossyduck
Proud Parent
Hi
My daughter switched gym a couple of months ago and we are really happy with the gym, she's making great progress, getting good feedback from the coaches and enjoying her gymnastics. Obviously some days are better than others, but really no worries there at all.
Getting along with the other girls in her squad is another matter and seems much more patchy and just over the last few days seems to have hit the rocks a bit.
I don't really understand the problem. Obviously I'm biased, but my daughter normally finds it really easy to make friends and ends up pretty popular in most situations - she's kind and generous and easy going, really caring. So I can't imagine her getting competative or funny with anyone. She was very keen to make friends.
Initially she would come out and talk with enthusiasm about having made friends with this girl or that girl, and they all waved and shouted hi to her for the first few weeks it was going great. But now she comes out and walks alone. She looks wary, they seem to give her funny looks and she said that one or two have been a bit mean. Last night she was a bit down and said she felt the others seemed to be trying to find ways to get her in to trouble.
I'm having to wonder if it's her? Surely all the others won't have just decided to cut her out for no reason, but I can't think what she could have done. Some of the things she has reported - falling out over hair bobbles and wearing the wrong shoes I thought would just blow over, but it seems not.
I know it's early days and to be honest it's bothering me more than her. I've tried not to let it worry me but I guess I expected it to get easier not harder and I hate to think she might be struggling with the social side.
So, how important is it that she makes friends? She says she's happy getting on with her gymnastics, but surely that's not realistic over time without the support of team mates?
How usual is it that things start ok and then get worse? Will it get better again? Is this normal?
Hopefully I'm worrying over nothing, but any advice about what I can say to help, or just reassurance for me would be great. Thanks.
My daughter switched gym a couple of months ago and we are really happy with the gym, she's making great progress, getting good feedback from the coaches and enjoying her gymnastics. Obviously some days are better than others, but really no worries there at all.
Getting along with the other girls in her squad is another matter and seems much more patchy and just over the last few days seems to have hit the rocks a bit.
I don't really understand the problem. Obviously I'm biased, but my daughter normally finds it really easy to make friends and ends up pretty popular in most situations - she's kind and generous and easy going, really caring. So I can't imagine her getting competative or funny with anyone. She was very keen to make friends.
Initially she would come out and talk with enthusiasm about having made friends with this girl or that girl, and they all waved and shouted hi to her for the first few weeks it was going great. But now she comes out and walks alone. She looks wary, they seem to give her funny looks and she said that one or two have been a bit mean. Last night she was a bit down and said she felt the others seemed to be trying to find ways to get her in to trouble.
I'm having to wonder if it's her? Surely all the others won't have just decided to cut her out for no reason, but I can't think what she could have done. Some of the things she has reported - falling out over hair bobbles and wearing the wrong shoes I thought would just blow over, but it seems not.
I know it's early days and to be honest it's bothering me more than her. I've tried not to let it worry me but I guess I expected it to get easier not harder and I hate to think she might be struggling with the social side.
So, how important is it that she makes friends? She says she's happy getting on with her gymnastics, but surely that's not realistic over time without the support of team mates?
How usual is it that things start ok and then get worse? Will it get better again? Is this normal?
Hopefully I'm worrying over nothing, but any advice about what I can say to help, or just reassurance for me would be great. Thanks.