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One thing I always tell my dd when she gets out of the car for practice - have fun! I've said it as a level 5 and I still say it as a 2nd yr 9.... If you're not having fun, what's the point???
that's the exact same thing I say!
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One thing I always tell my dd when she gets out of the car for practice - have fun! I've said it as a level 5 and I still say it as a 2nd yr 9.... If you're not having fun, what's the point???
You need "feel the love for level four". This would work for any team parent. Does anyone have that?
Here it is! Originally posted by Megley
1. Love the one you're with. We all know that there are nasty
parents in our midst. As hard as it is, we must co-exist with them.
One of the mothers I was in mortal combat with when our dds were L4
became a very close friend of mine over the years. Only the other
gym mothers really understand what we are going through and we have
more in common with them than not. If someone is really horrid,
ignore them and rest assured they will get over themselves as the
years go by.
2. BFF. I don't care who you are, we all know it's hard not to
compare your child to her teammates as they compete against each
other OVAH and OVAH again. These girls, however, are your dds best
friends or at least they could be in the right environment. Don't
pit them against each other in any way or even let a comparative
thought seep in (gotta watch that karma!). A super L4 gymnast is
not necessarily a super L5 gymnast. A child who gets their kip last,
may get their kip best.
3. 24 hour rule. People get emotional at, during and right after
meets. It's really hard to suffer through your dd falling three
times on beam and it's really hard to not feel like the cat that
swallowed the canary when your dd does well. After a meet, zip your
mouth to anyone whom you cannot completely trust. Believe me, you'll
say things you wish you didn't. Find a TRUE best gym friend, post on
a message board (like this one!), find a great friend in another city who's also a gymmom, but don't share your personal thoughts with other members of
your dd's club (coach, mom, or whatever) until you've composed
yourself the next day and have had more time to reflect. Btw, this
rule comes from my years teaching law school. My students were never
allowed to talk to me about their grades until 24 hours after they
received their papers back. ;-) Works wonders.
4. Don't party with the coaches. Some of us may truly like our
dd's coaches as friends, but they are not our friends, they are our
dd's coaches. If someone is your friend, it's hard for you to
understand why they may hold your child back, yell at them on
occasion, not pick them to be the special girl in the Christmas show,
etc. Believe me, it's much, much easier to be respectful, but not
hang out in the hotel bar with them at night. I've seen it – it's
not pretty!
5. Keep your eyes to yourself. Every gym has favorites. Don't
watch the favorite, watch your own dd. If she is getting what she
needs, then it's ok that someone else gets different or more. Most
of the kids who are getting different or more have trouble as they
get older because they feed off that attention and cannot learn to
self-motivate. Really. You just have to wait it out. I did.
6. Team Spirit. The leotard will be ugly and expensive, you will
wear matching team clothes like elves, the parent you dislike the
most will be in charge. Accepting this now will make it much easier
during the season.
7. Do they think I'm stupid? Well, yes, they do. All coaches
think parents don't understand gymnastics and, heck, most of us
don't. That doesn't mean that you can't be practical and figure out
what's best for your child. That doesn't mean you SHARE your
opinions with your dd's coaches, but it's important to know what your
dd needs and if her coaches are providing it.
8. Get to know your dd. Gymnasts are as mentally different as they
are physically and your child in the gym may be different than your
child at home. Although I hate the phrase because it connotes that
coaches know best, the saying that "Parents know their daughter, but
coaches know their gymnast" is not untrue. With that in mind,
parents, YOU get to know YOUR gymnast. Some girls are motivated by
winning, some are motivated by tricks, some are motivated by
friendships, etc. Find out what makes your dd happy in this sport
and RUN WITH IT. If the gym doesn't provide what juices your dd,
then find another gym for her.
9. Feel the love for Level 4. Gymnastics could end tomorrow, or it
could end in 10 years, but it will end. Enjoy every last meet,
travel trip, crazy mom and cute little girl. It will be over before
you know it.
8. Get to know your dd. Gymnasts are as mentally different as they are physically and your child in the gym may be different than your child at home. Although I hate the phrase because it connotes that coaches know best, the saying that "Parents know their daughter, but coaches know their gymnast" is not untrue. With that in mind, parents, YOU get to know YOUR gymnast. Some girls are motivated by winning, some are motivated by tricks, some are motivated by friendships, etc. Find out what makes your dd happy in this sport and RUN WITH IT. If the gym doesn't provide what juices your dd, then find another gym for her.
I think all new gym parents should get a link to this forum so that they can learn about all of this. I feel lucky that I found this place by accident years ago. I have learned so much more than the other gym moms. They all think I am so smart when in reality I am just quoting someone on here 90% of the time.
I gotcha...just venting...I feel like she's always getting weird looks and I'm always saying, "don't worry, she's not contagious..."
One thing that can be contagious, and almost alway is......progress! Have faith in the positive, contagious effect of progress on any child's part. Not only will it spread to the entire group, it's a good indicator the coach/coaches are on the right track! So be excited when any child leads the way, and be patient for your childs "moment" to arrive.
That working through pain does not get you bonuses.
Not to compare the progress of your child to her team mates, or others in the gym.
To ask questions, do not gossip in the veiwing area.
Be interested and involved, understand how the sport works.
Do not give you child the third degree after every class. Let them share, ask if they had a good class, but don't grill on skills, hers or other girls.
Get your kid to the gym on time, well rested and prepared to train.
Pick up you kid on time.
Do not try to tell your kid what to do in the gym. That is the coaches job.
If your kid has a fever, or a runny orifice of any kind, keep them home until it is cleared up. Same for odd rashes.
Oh stop me now, I could go on for days!
Second this DO NOT JUDGE SOMEONE ON A COUGH!I get a shocking cough every year around the same time and it lasts for months It is not contagious but it sounds like i am on the brink of death. I don't miss practice for it the only time I have missed practice for it was when I was physically exhausted from coughing to much,
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With the exception of elite, everyone ends up at 10 - some get there quicker than others, but they all end up the same place! Then when they get to that level you are happy they are still in the marathon and not focused on how fast they are running it!
One thing I always tell my dd when she gets out of the car for practice - have fun! I've said it as a level 5 and I still say it as a 2nd yr 9.... If you're not having fun, what's the point???
I would also love to do a "parent olympics" this summer where the level parents compete in teams against each other, having to complete different challenges at each event (walking on beam on tiptoe, rope climb, tap swing on bars into the pit, etc.) The gymnasts would be the judges. We have talked about doing this for a while as a "parent" team bonding activity and also to give parents a taste of just how hard the skills really are to learn. There seems to be a few parents every year who just think that the coach can just tell or show their child how to do the skill and their child should be able to do it.