WAG How to talk to gymnast about recent death

DON'T LURK... Join The Discussion!

Members see FEWER ads

STU678

Proud Parent
Regarding the recent devastating news of the death of a gymnast in the States, does anyone have insight as to how to talk to our girls about that? My daughter has just turned 13, level 9. My initial thought was to say nothing & hope she didn't hear about it but, of course, with social media the news spread quickly and she asked me about it yesterday. At this point, I just said I was unsure about what happened, it's really uncommon, unfortunately accidents can happen in any sport or even in your own home. I am sure that is not going to be the end of it, but I don't know how much to say? It seems that too much information could cause anxiety and fear, but too little information and their brains go to places that might not be helpful either. I have no experience in figuring out exactly how much information is the right amount. I thought about contacting the coach and seeing if she wants to talk to the girls or if she might have advice or experience in how to handle these types of situations, but haven't yet. Anyone with advice or experience to share?
 
Age-dependent response, dialed up or down based on individual circumstances.

I told our daughter that evening. We discussed the facts, what was known.
We acknowledged that many information pieces were still missing.

It was a vehicle for us to discuss safety, listening to your body, advocating for yourself, and appreciating how life can change in an instant.
While tremendous personal benefit can come from being an athlete,
there is also so much more to life than gymnastics.
It provided an opportunity to step back and gain perspective.

I also reminded her that it is:
always within her power to say no to a skill and
always within her power to speak up if something doesn’t feel safe during practice or competition and
always within her power to stop the sport – at any time.
It is her body and her life.

I have come to appreciate that children really do need to hear this spoken out loud to them,
and to know unequivocally that we will support them and advocate for them on this.
 
We do much the same as suds.

We talk about how important it is to do things safely.
We ski, bike, had a trampoline. All used and done with an eye towards safety. We scuba, safety is huge.

When I met my husband one of our first dates was biking. He didn't have a helmet. I said well if you are coming biking with you will. :)
Skiing, helmet, if you aren't capable of blue, ski green.
She was the last kid in her grade to get out of car seat, the last out of booster.

And things happen. We just had a relative lose their 3 month old to SIDS. She died sleeping :(
We have to sleep.
She has had a foot injury at gym. I too had a foot injury, walking across the lawn in wedges.

We also keep in mind how many gymnasts, bikers, sleeping babies there are and how many times they have done something and didn't die.

Its on going and very dependent on your child.
 
Suds, I love this. Thank you!
I also reminded her that it is:
always within her power to say no to a skill and
always within her power to speak up if something doesn’t feel safe during practice or competition and
always within her power to stop the sport – at any time.
It is her body and her life.
 

New Posts

DON'T LURK... Join The Discussion!

Members see FEWER ads

Gymnaverse :: Recent Activity

College Gym News

New Posts

Back