I am wondering what some of the rest of you parents think about "fun" in a gymnastics context. I have a soon to be 8 year old L3 DD. Although she practices hard for 12 hours a week in addition to being in 2nd grade at a public school, I believe she is still having fun. I also believe that she is not on an elite path by virtue of the choices we (myself and DD) are making together. She has never had a private and isn't in a gym/homeschool program. Often on this board we talk about letting the girls have "fun" at this stage of their gymnastics. Are the same girls my DD's age who are homeschooled, training 20+ hours a week, doing TOPs, and having every waking minute be about higher level gymnastics having fun? How does the parent of such a child know this would be fun for them before embarking on these efforts? I am currently considering making some life changes that would enable my DD to train more hours and become a better gymnast. Our goal would still be fun and possibly NCAA down the road, not elite. But how do I know that becoming more serious won't take the "fun" out of it for her??