Parents What would you say to younger gym parent self? What do you wish someone had told you?

[Gymmommy71]

Don't pressure your kid or worry about skill acquisition when they are young and in the lower levels - you'll eventually just be happy that they are still in the sport and progressing AT ALL by the time they get in optionals and are teenagers.

 

[GymCMLA]

I have these conversations with my self. I have book end girls (with boys between) and I use my optional mom experience to talk to my preteam mom self LOL!

 

[auswi]

Hmmm - think I'd advise younger me to open a bank account, deposit all money that's been ( & still being ) spent on gym and voila - there would be a holiday house all bought & paid for & enroll the kids in something else

 

[sandy]

Hmmm - think I'd advise younger me to open a bank account, deposit all money that's been ( & still being ) spent on gym and voila - there would be a holiday house all bought & paid for & enroll the kids in something else

So "RUN"

 

[tomtnt]

I have to repeatedly sing this song to myself.

Also.

Don't watch practice regularly.

Don't compare her to anyone but her. She doesn't have to be the first to get whatever and it's even OK if she is the last. It's her journey, she will get to where she is supposed to be. It's Ok to do it how it works for your family. Millions of hours are not the only way.

On a personal and very specific thing. I wish I had started having her doing wrist conditioning first thing.

dang - lots of good advice here...

last year when she was summer training level 9 - never went to single practice. watched in awe as she showed off all her new skills at the mock meet before season started. This year, got stuck in the gym watching her training Tchachev. So frustrating to watch her be frustrated then finally catching her first Tchachev then losing it and not being able to get it again.

 

[MILgymFAM]

dang - lots of good advice here...

last year when she was summer training level 9 - never went to single practice. watched in awe as she showed off all her new skills at the mock meet before season started. This year, got stuck in the gym watching her training Tchachev. So frustrating to watch her be frustrated then finally catching her first Tchachev then losing it and not being able to get it again.

I usually wish that I was completely out of the loop in terms of training. I tell my DD all the time that it would be better if I didn't know all the details of the day-to-day training.. That I would love to just be excited to see skills when they're ready to be shown. She insists on telling me everything though. She says it's the ways she likes it, and talking about practice with me makes her happy. I can say that she nearly always comes out and is happy and excited about something- even if it's something cool that a teammate did. There's always something funny that happened and a compliment she took to heart. Then she gets to anything that was frustrating. While part of me wishes to be move removed, another is so happy that at almost 15 she still wants to tell me everything.

 

[balancedmom]

This is all so interesting. As a parent of a DD who who has struggled with fears and injuries, I wish I could (and can) always remember...there is no goal but today and now. AS good as your kid may be today, as hard as they are trying, gymnastics is tough on these kids and they should be celebrated everyday...not just for the big wins or the new skills. I wish I knew how tough the sport would be on her physically and mentally..not that I can/could convince her to quit...but at level 3/4...feels different that L7/8. Gymnastics for most of these kids comes to an end at some point without reaching college gym, so any day could be the end so enjoy watching what they can do and don't focus on what they cannot do/achieve. Now, off to take my own advice.

 

[profmom]

Remind yourself on the days when everything is great and everyone sees limitless possibility that, if they stay in, the wretched, hard, miserable days will come.

Remind yourself on the wretched, hard, miserable days that, if they stay in, happy days almost certainly lie ahead.

 

[duyetanh]

Remind yourself on the days when everything is great and everyone sees limitless possibility that, if they stay in, the wretched, hard, miserable days will come.

Remind yourself on the wretched, hard, miserable days that, if they stay in, happy days almost certainly lie ahead.

Oh this, 5000 times!!

 

[Committed]

You know, I keep coming back to this thread. I think a lot of us just have to learn from experience. It doesn't matter if you were told something, it's doesn't sink in until you're eyeball deep into it!

I remember thinking that my 5yo going to the gym 6 hours a week was insane!
I remember getting the $500 leo/warmup/meet fee bill and almost having a heart attack! (LOL!!!)

I found out that gymnastics is very fluid, so don't sweat the small stuff. Chance are, your DDs worst event could easily become their best the next season.