onebusymama
Proud Parent
So sitting in viewing area watching my DD gymnastics practice, & another parent sits down next to me and begins a conversation. After awhile I realize she is a CGM. Her DD I think is age 7 (she had a younger DD who she treats very differently-need to add that). Her DD is extremely small & to me looks very tired & weak. The mom told me her DD is on a low fat diet which to her is necessary for a gymnast (remember she is 7!) She has her DD in dance classes as well bc that's what ALL good gymnasts do. She talks as is her DD is training for the Olympics, as it is her destiny. She is very proud for some reason that her DD is so small & references that often. Her other DD is not (I would say she is average to a bit big for her age). But her other DD looks so much healthier & has so much more energy than her older smaller sister. I personally feel that this CGM is trying to produce the "ideal" gymnast but in ALL the wrong ways. Why does this sport make parents so EXTREME? Don't say soccer is the same bx my 14 y.o. has been in soccer since 4 & the soccer parents aren't that CRAZY!
she has brought up the topic of gymnastics diet to me in the past, I think from a show she watches on TV but I told her absolutely not, she is 7 years old and with as many hours as she's working out she's probably burning more calories than she's consuming. I pack her a snack bag every day for gym and of course she has healthy things in it but I do add in cookies and rice crispy treats, etc... She's a kid and I'm sorry but it won't hurt her. She knows the dedication it's going to take to make it all the way but she also knows how many other girls are out there with the same dream. Remember only 5 make it every 4 years. If your starving your child or forcing them to go when they don't want to be there, you may want to stop reading now but your daughter will not be one of the five because I can guarantee she will either quit, become injured or her skills will level off. Someone wise once told me that there are no guarantees in gymnastics, you can have the most talented, naturally gifted, body type built for the sport daughter and she can one day have a career ending injury or just up and decide that she no longer wants to do this sport anymore. I say let them be who they are, enjoy them, praise them for their talent, be there for that shoulder to cry on and maybe, just maybe one day we will all be sitting reading a post from one of our CB buddies saying "my daughter/son has made the Olympic team"
