Over the past two years one mom has tried to have our daughter kicked off the team three times. The first time our daughters were laughing at a joke together and the mom told the gym my daughter was laughing AT her daughter. The gym told my daughter she had to miss two days of practice. We accepted this even though no one asked to hear her version of the story. We told her this child is sensitive and you need to be more considerate of others. We just wanted to move on and avoid conflict. The girls were in junior high school at the time and we knew it can be a tough age.
The second time the mom told the gym my daughter was excluding her daughter from a hangout outside of the gym to the State Fair. I showed the gym owners a screenshot of a text my daughter sent to the entire group where she did in fact invite everyone. At 14 years old the girls tend to make their own plans. Her daughter could not attend that day but the other girls could so they went. It is hard to schedule an outing with 10 girls in the summer when each family is traveling or has other commitments. We felt we did our best to accommodate the majority. The third time there was a similar situation with a pool party. Both times the coaches lectured all of the girls that they need to include each other in their activities outside of the gym and everyone needs to be included otherwise they would be kicked off the team.
However during the last competition season the mom organized a 'team' dinner at an away meet and she did not invite our daughter. I never complained. Our daughter was in tears but we let it go and tried to focus on the competition instead. Apparently another parent who went to the dinner asked her why we were not invited and she said, "Oh, they are with their family this weekend and could not make it."
This parent is well-connected and shows off her money at the gym with lavish gifts for coaches, several privates every weekend with the head coach, inviting coaches to her home for parties etc etc. She even offered to be an investor in the gym but they turned her down. At one point she got into a loud argument in the lobby of the gym with another mom where curse words were being hurled and doors were slammed. That parent left the gym. She seems able to break all of the rules at the gym: no street shoes on the gym floor---why is she even allowed on the gym floor??? Only clear liquids in the gym area---she needs her green smoothies. No talking to coaches during practice---happens daily and everything is an emergency etc etc. All minor infractions but the rules don't seem to apply to her.
I need advice on how to handle this situation. The gym owners seem to enjoy the prestige of having this parent throwing money at them and they overlook all of the mama drama. I just don't feel they have our backs as a family. Our daughter is heading to Level 9 next year and had a great season last year. To pull her out and switch gyms seems like a punishment to her. I'm dreading the competition season with this mom. I avoid her at drop off and pick up by going early and leaving later. It is draining and exhausting playing defense constantly. The gym owner told me to ignore her. This has nothing to do with gymnastics and the girls are good friends at practice.
I'm so over this Mama Drama! How do I handle this???
The second time the mom told the gym my daughter was excluding her daughter from a hangout outside of the gym to the State Fair. I showed the gym owners a screenshot of a text my daughter sent to the entire group where she did in fact invite everyone. At 14 years old the girls tend to make their own plans. Her daughter could not attend that day but the other girls could so they went. It is hard to schedule an outing with 10 girls in the summer when each family is traveling or has other commitments. We felt we did our best to accommodate the majority. The third time there was a similar situation with a pool party. Both times the coaches lectured all of the girls that they need to include each other in their activities outside of the gym and everyone needs to be included otherwise they would be kicked off the team.
However during the last competition season the mom organized a 'team' dinner at an away meet and she did not invite our daughter. I never complained. Our daughter was in tears but we let it go and tried to focus on the competition instead. Apparently another parent who went to the dinner asked her why we were not invited and she said, "Oh, they are with their family this weekend and could not make it."
This parent is well-connected and shows off her money at the gym with lavish gifts for coaches, several privates every weekend with the head coach, inviting coaches to her home for parties etc etc. She even offered to be an investor in the gym but they turned her down. At one point she got into a loud argument in the lobby of the gym with another mom where curse words were being hurled and doors were slammed. That parent left the gym. She seems able to break all of the rules at the gym: no street shoes on the gym floor---why is she even allowed on the gym floor??? Only clear liquids in the gym area---she needs her green smoothies. No talking to coaches during practice---happens daily and everything is an emergency etc etc. All minor infractions but the rules don't seem to apply to her.
I need advice on how to handle this situation. The gym owners seem to enjoy the prestige of having this parent throwing money at them and they overlook all of the mama drama. I just don't feel they have our backs as a family. Our daughter is heading to Level 9 next year and had a great season last year. To pull her out and switch gyms seems like a punishment to her. I'm dreading the competition season with this mom. I avoid her at drop off and pick up by going early and leaving later. It is draining and exhausting playing defense constantly. The gym owner told me to ignore her. This has nothing to do with gymnastics and the girls are good friends at practice.
I'm so over this Mama Drama! How do I handle this???
