Parents Finding the balance?

[LMV]

This came to me while replying to another thread but it is an issue I think I've been wrestling with since the beginning. First and foremost we want our daughter to be safe, and feel supported but I'm not sure exactly where the line is drawn between being supportive and meddling parents.

Our situation is a little different perhaps than some families because:
1.) We do need to do some practice monitoring to make sure that this is not physically too much for her due to some health issues. One of us or my MIL (who has a daughter that competed L10 this spring) were initially attending all practices and even now we pop in periodically.
2.)We're kind of jumping into the middle both in her life and her life in gymnastics. She was a gymnast since age four and she came to live with us this past winter at age ten after an extended hospital stay. In some ways perhaps we need to be more involved with her gymnastics just to show her that we support her interests. In other ways we don't want to give her any idea that our love has any conditions and we get a sense that her parents were very vested in her success. [We also get a sense that she really loves this herself or we wouldn't even be going down this road.]

Having said all of that I would love to hear from other parents who have been at this longer than we have.

 

[gym law mom]

It sometimes can be a balancing act. You'll probably need to be more vigilent once school starts. Then she'll be juggling school plus practice hours. I think you need to let dd know that her health comes first and foremost. The healtier she is. the better she'll be as a gymnast. Also simply because you love her. That means getting enough sleep,eating a balanced diet and having a schedule that allows for down time---just time to be a kid.

You mentioned in another post that her coaches are aware of her background and most issues so you can certainly make sure they are looking out for her too and let you know if they see any signs of fatigue that is above what would be normal.

Hope some of this helped a little.

 

[MamaofEnS]

This is a great question, because I too wonder if I have pushed my dd to continue in this sport when she didn't want to. If you look at my previous posts, you will read about all of the joys and disappointments we have had since we joined CB, which was less than a year ago. I think this is something that I struggle with, and continue to do so, until my DD finishes competing this season.

MamaofEnS

 

[LMV]

Thank you to both of you for sharing your perspectives. I know that sometimes as parents we do influence our kids even without meaning to. We do worry about that. It is probably one of those things we just have to take one day at a time with frequent re-evaluation.

 

[gym law mom]

Taking this a day at a time is a super way to keep grounded and make sure things don't get out of control.

Best wishes for a healthy/successful year!

 

[nettyinpa]

Every year before the season starts we sit her down and ask her if she wants to continue. So before we're shelling out all kinds of money for new leos, meets, etc. we have an idea of her commitment. We have thrown many other options her way but were always met with a resounding NO to them. She likes being a gymnast and that's all she wants to me. Who knows, that might change in a year, but honestly, I don't see it happening! Good luck!