Parents Gymnastics Mom's (some) called crazy. HELLO ever seen Football Dad's?!?!

[drivingmom]

I have heard so many parents and coaches refer to some gymanstics Mom's a "CRAZY GYMNASTICS MOM". Heave you even seen fathers at their son's football games!! OMG..shocking. I have seen them yell at their boys and coaches from the stands, leave the stands to go on the field to yell at them. Yell things that are obscene and their are little one's around. They watch EVERY practice, try to coach or coach from the sidelines. They disagree with who plays what poisition. Think they know how every play should be played and yell to the coach what play they think should playing, what kid should be put in...it goes on and on. I have been involved with football from pee wee 8 years old to college and let me tell you gymnastics mom's are meek compared to some of these parents.

I have NEVER seen a mother go out on the floor of competion to yell at her child or the coach or use such lanquage.

So this my fellow mom's who think you may have gone over board from time to time....you are not that bad! I know there are mom's who have to complain about everything to anyone who will listen , but I believe there are way less crazy mom's out there than normal gymantics Mom's wanting the best for their DD.

Okay just needed to vent after watching my 200th football and seeing and listening to some truly nutty parents.

I salute the Gymnastics Mom who drives her kidsendlessly, writes big checks over and over, sits through long meets and awards,sit’s through practiced from time to time because her DD has begged even whenwe have one thousand other things that need done, who sacrifices family dinnersand most of supports and loves her DD!

Cheers to all of us!!!!

 

[AlexsGymmyMom]

The same can be said for softball and baseball dads too! My DD has a friend that plays softball and her dad is sooooo over the top with it! I actually feel bad for her sometimes!

 

[momofthreegirls]

I saw that attitude when my DD played peewee soccer, too. Dads (and a few moms) screaming at their kids from the sidelines - put-downs, not encouragement. It was crazy - they were 3-5 years old.

 

[Empowered]

Any sport where you have to succeed young is going to lend itself to crazy parents. Yes football, baseball and hockey are played by men, but those men were identified as star players in high school or earlier and that's what gets them drafted or onto a quality college team. Hockey players can move away from home to play in junior leagues as young as 16... Baseball parents want a kid with a Little League World Series title and they have to excel by 11 to have a shot at that.

Look at Christina McHale who just had a huge upset yesterday at the US Open, she's only 16 years old and being in majors by that age is just par for the course for female tennis players which are NOTORIOUS for having whacked out dads. Women's golf is another where parents just push and push and push to have that new youngest tour player even though you can golf at a pro level until you are 50.

Some of these parents will push a child into being a major superstar... and some will just push their children away. His adult troubles notwithstanding, Tiger's dad molded him into the greatest golfer of an era and Jennifer Capriati's dad molded her into a drug addict who nearly lost everything.

 

[MaryA]

I haven't seen moms who "coach from the sidelines" at a meet (except maybe under her breath), but I have seen moms chew out their kid after a meet for not doing well enough. Or heard them talking to a friend about the ski trip they promised their daughter if she did well. There are certainly plenty of crazy gymnastics moms out there. It is my personal goal to not become one of them.

I also have a friend whose daughter, who does prep op gym, just started cheer and she said that gym craziness aint nothin' compared to cheer craziness!

 

[Canadian_gym_mom]

Hockey dads can be like that here. Fistfights in the stands, swearing at the kids. When the players are 7 and 8 years old!

 

[Tumblequeensmom]

Gotta run, but have definitely seen crazy moms coach from the sidelines, chew out kids/coaches, etc. Not a pretty sight!

 

[bogwoppit]

I have seen parents, of both sexes, stomp onto the gym floor, yell at coaches, yell at judges, drag their kids out screaming, coach from the sidelines and even join in haranging a gymmie when the coach is yelling at them for falling off a beam

There are CGM, CGM and then there are the CGPGR, "crazy gym parent gone rogue" as in parents who have lost all reason and will do anything to get their kid what they want, as in what the parent wants. They probably are this crazy no matter what there kids do. THis happens in school, in preschool, parenting one upmanship is UGLY.

You need a license to own a dog, but having kids, pfft, anyone can do that!

 

[sportyspice]

Yep, we have crazy netball parents here (front page of national newspaper today). Just sucks all the enjoyment out of childhood!

In gymnastics here we often have the opposite situation (but just as bad) once kids have been in the sport for a few years. Parents lose interest in attending meets (drop child off and leave), fail to support the club in fundraisers and try to lure their kids into other sports which have a higher profile (more chances of public success).

 

[ZZMom]

Ha ha! Some of the hockey dads (and moms) are incredible. Yelling at their kids, hand signals, getting in fights with the parents from other teams.

Our oldest daughter was a gymnast, our two middle boys are hockey players and our little daughter is a gymnast.

Gymnastics was great for us because it really teaches parents to be good sports. After all, your kids are directly competing against their friends. So, when you are in the stands watching, you are sitting with your friends from the gym who also happen to often be the parents of your daughter's biggest competition. And, the kids have to learn how to both win and lose gracefully. Really an amazing experience.

But, I love hockey! The parents are a lot more open about admitting how competitive they are and it is actually considered a good thing for the kids to be competitive (which it should be). In gymnastics, it has always seemed a badge of honor for the parents to try to prove how uncompetitive they (and of course their gymnast) are.

Crazy parents definitely exist in both sports but I have to say I like the hockey crazies better than the gymnastics crazies.

Best Wishes,

ZZMom

 

[drivingmom]

ZZMOM - Love the badge of honor comment!! Isnt' that the truth.

 

[gym law mom]

Unfortunately, I think you'll see out of control behavior by parents in any activity kids are in and I include school in this. I've heard moms go crazy at football games when their son isn't doing well or is benched, heard of parents of muscians trying to get the best advantage possible for their child to make state concert band or whatever and buying $4000 clarinets, parents trying to outdo each other by having their kid in the most and toughest AP classes in high school. The list just goes on and on.
I have seen parents "coach" from the bleachers at gym meets and honestly you want to avoid the bathrooms because without a doubt you'll hear some poor kid getting yelled at.
As parents we all want the best for our kids and we want them to be successful, but making their activity a job or one where only success equals positive feedback is just not the way to go. You want your child to look back on their childhood with good memories---not ones of being bullied by their own parents.

 

[MaryA]

As parents we all want the best for our kids and we want them to be successful, but making their activity a job or one where only success equals positive feedback is just not the way to go. You want your child to look back on their childhood with good memories---not ones of being bullied by their own parents.

Amen!!!!!!

 

[my4buffaloes]

Unfortunately there are more crazy parents than ever these days. It used to be rare, now it is common. It is hard to watch and unfortunate for the kids.

 

[drivingmom]

So I just saw my for the first time on TV DANCE Mom's!!! OMG....the dance coach and parents are all nightmares!!!! I can't even believe those mom's as nutty as most of them are pay this lady. Plus allow this coach to talk about and to their kids in such a way.

Once again I have to say the gym mom's I know are saints compared to
these mom's!!

 

[Deleted member D3987]

actually, i think hockey parents are the worst. i've never see anything quite like it in all my travels.

 

[SamIam]

Quick story on "football dads'. I work with a fellow whose son is a very good football player. He is a Jr in HS this year. I have several properties to keep up with on maintenance and lawn care, and hired his boy to work with me this summer. The kid is a hard worker and a 15 yo that I don't mind being around.

He loaded into the truck a few weeks ago, and I was talking to Sam who was on her way to the gym for Saturday practice. He found it hard to believe she practiced on Saturday also. I ran down her schedule for him real quick and he made the comment "that sounds worse than 2 a days". Which is football talk for the week they practice twice a day in the summer. I replied to him I think she is amazing and wish I had her determination at that age. I then told him if you ask her what she loves it would probably be family then gymnastics and for now that's about it. I then asked him "you must love football in the same way" to put your body through the punishment football doles out, and the sacrifices that must be made.

His reply, "you promise not to tell dad? - I hate football. I only play it because he likes it so much". Broke my heart. He went on to say "he's gonna be mad when I finally tell him I don't want to play in college" (and he will get offers). Just to keep everything in check I called Sam back and told her if she didn't want to go today you don't have to - it's an optional practice. She didn't quite get my use of the word optional because she said "Dad, I'm an optional gymnast". Repeated my statement "you don't have to go, we can go swimming instead".
Sam "we can go swimming after practice" -
Me "have a great practice honey"

I will never be "one of those parents".

/\ dance moms rule!! That show is a great educational tool for how not to be. My 2 daughters and I watch it regularly.

 

[Canadian_gym_mom]

actually, i think hockey parents are the worst. i've never see anything quite like it in all my travels.

It's true.

 

[MaryA]

Quick story on "football dads'. I work with a fellow whose son is a very good football player. He is a Jr in HS this year. I have several properties to keep up with on maintenance and lawn care, and hired his boy to work with me this summer. The kid is a hard worker and a 15 yo that I don't mind being around.

He loaded into the truck a few weeks ago, and I was talking to Sam who was on her way to the gym for Saturday practice. He found it hard to believe she practiced on Saturday also. I ran down her schedule for him real quick and he made the comment "that sounds worse than 2 a days". Which is football talk for the week they practice twice a day in the summer. I replied to him I think she is amazing and wish I had her determination at that age. I then told him if you ask her what she loves it would probably be family then gymnastics and for now that's about it. I then asked him "you must love football in the same way" to put your body through the punishment football doles out, and the sacrifices that must be made.

His reply, "you promise not to tell dad? - I hate football. I only play it because he likes it so much". Broke my heart. He went on to say "he's gonna be mad when I finally tell him I don't want to play in college" (and he will get offers).

Excellent story... as much as it might break his dad's heart to hear he doesn't want to do college football, it would break my heart if I found out that my DD was doing gymnastics for me and not for herself. She is making a lot of sacrifices to do what she does, and will need to make more if she is going to continue. If she is going to make them, I want her to make them because SHE wants it.

 

[Midget's Dad]

When I stopped playing hockey I became a coach and a ref, and I totally agree that hockey parents can be awful. As a coach I would always have meetings with the parents to talk about things like this, and for the most part it did some good. But every year, at least once, I would have a parent(s) get out of control and have to lean over to the ref (remember I also was a ref so I knew them all) and tell them to give us a penalty for it.

Junior, and below, hockey has rules in place to give a bench penalty for parental insanity.

They should use it more, and also add those rules to other sports.

But all in all, the fact is that some parents are just NUTS!!