I'm pretty sure I'm just dealing with the typical developmental challenges of a little girl who is about to turn 4, but I kind of need to unload after a challenging day. Since part of the challenge involves gymnastics, I figured I'd post it here. I'd love to hear I'm not alone.
Little A is showing signs of being very gifted physically (especially in gymnastics and general flexibility and strength) as well as intellectually. Her brother is very bright (he is 8 and has skipped a grade) and I know we met with a lot of the same challenges with him when he was a preschooler.
Here was my day: in one hour, I had to explain (again) to Little A why she shouldn't and couldn't attempt a full flip from a standing or bouncing position in our living room. "But I can picture it, Mommy! All I have to do is A, B, and C...I can land on my back on these pillows...I won't get hurt." A few weeks ago she asked her teacher where/if she could try a flip in the gym. Her teacher told her not yet, and to keep working on more foundational things. Phew. Little A dreams, literally, of doing incredibly advanced gymnastics skills. As she was falling asleep, she told me she was "dreaming" of running up to a vault, doing a handstand on it, and flipping off of it. Can you tell she was watching the "big girls" training during her last class??
In the next hour, after I'd talked her down from her sofa cushion and gotten her to practice much safer things, she told me she had to go potty. Little A was on the "late" end of normal with potty training. But, she has been great about no accidents and heading for the bathroom when she has to go. Today, she kept asking for a diaper. I managed to talk her out of that, too, but I'm just confounded.
Does anyone else have a 3 or 4 year old who can't decide if she is 2 or 8? That's where my sweet little girl is. I want to encourage her, guide her, and mostly let her know we love her no matter what!! I'm sorry this is so long, but I needed to get it off my chest, my husband has been working 14+ hour days for the past 4 days, and I thought I might find some company here!
Little A is showing signs of being very gifted physically (especially in gymnastics and general flexibility and strength) as well as intellectually. Her brother is very bright (he is 8 and has skipped a grade) and I know we met with a lot of the same challenges with him when he was a preschooler.
Here was my day: in one hour, I had to explain (again) to Little A why she shouldn't and couldn't attempt a full flip from a standing or bouncing position in our living room. "But I can picture it, Mommy! All I have to do is A, B, and C...I can land on my back on these pillows...I won't get hurt." A few weeks ago she asked her teacher where/if she could try a flip in the gym. Her teacher told her not yet, and to keep working on more foundational things. Phew. Little A dreams, literally, of doing incredibly advanced gymnastics skills. As she was falling asleep, she told me she was "dreaming" of running up to a vault, doing a handstand on it, and flipping off of it. Can you tell she was watching the "big girls" training during her last class??
In the next hour, after I'd talked her down from her sofa cushion and gotten her to practice much safer things, she told me she had to go potty. Little A was on the "late" end of normal with potty training. But, she has been great about no accidents and heading for the bathroom when she has to go. Today, she kept asking for a diaper. I managed to talk her out of that, too, but I'm just confounded.
Does anyone else have a 3 or 4 year old who can't decide if she is 2 or 8? That's where my sweet little girl is. I want to encourage her, guide her, and mostly let her know we love her no matter what!! I'm sorry this is so long, but I needed to get it off my chest, my husband has been working 14+ hour days for the past 4 days, and I thought I might find some company here!