Parents Parent nerves

[twinmomma]

My daughters second ever meet is tomorrow and I'm wondering when MY nerves will go away. I have so much anxiety for her.

I'm very good at hiding it all but I don't know why I get so nervous! My son is very active in sports but all team ones like baseball and basketball.

Dd is 7 competing Xcel bronze this year hoping to switch over to JO level 3 as soon as the Xcel season ends.

Any advice for a nervous mom?

 

[gymmomof1]

Know that you are not alone with this lol. My dd has been competing for 6 years now and it's not getting any easier on my nerves especially now that she is doing much harder skills. So as hard as it is try to enjoy her routines and breadth. I also pray ALOT along with my fellow gym moms who I am quite close with. We help each other. Hope the meet is a lot of fun for your dd and you too

 

[rjb123]

I "try" to enjoy it, but I am generally so nervous that I can't run the video! LOL! I usually just try to remind myself that "it will be what it will be" and sit with some other sweet gym moms.

 

[vagymmomma]

I hate to say it, but it doesn't go away. Mine gymmie is competing L8 and in some ways it just gets harder to watch. It helps to connect with the other team parents -- especially at the meets. Misery loves company I suppose and we're all going through it together. I just try to stress the importance of practice. Practice hard and competition results should generally show it. Everyone has bad meets along the way, so keep focusing on the long term journey.

 

[cbifoja]

I only have "hot spot" nerves. I'm not nervous about the entire competition because I think my DD is prepared for her level and she doesn't get worked up so there is no need for me to do so. BUT, my stomach goes hot when she does her squat on.....is she going to stick it or drop off? And I hate watching the entire time for beam. I'm not sure I breathe during her routine. But especially nervous during full turn and during her acro/flight series.

 

[gwenmom]

I have nerves as well. Not just for DD for her little teammates as well. Heck it doesn't even need to be her teammates. At last weekend meet on little girl on the host team kept landing on her head in warmup on her BHS. I flinched every time she did it. When it came time for her turn on floor it was so nervous for her. She barely pulled it off. We all clapped and cheered her on even though it wasn't DD teammate.

 

[Flossyduck]

I empathise. I hate watching dd compete... but I love it too!! I quite like the build up, but then I'm a bag of nerves in the stand.

I sit with other parents, so that we can all support each other. And also it's highly likely there will be a fall or two between our girls, so you start to gain some perspective.

Also, in the absence of hard spirit, Bachs Rescue Remedy if you have it.

 

[wgymmom]

I always have nerves, especially on beam. I imagine it will only get worse as she advances!

 

[Fliptwisttumble]

I agree with the above posters..... You're likely not going to get LESS nervous, but a different nervous. Like " Will skill x that she has been struggling with for the last two weeks be today's nemesis?" Or..... "Please just don't split the beam" or..... "Please don't get hurt". My biggest worry for her is "please be happy with yourself when you are done" - she's her own worst enemy.

 

[raenndrops]

I still use a small digital camera to film both gymmies... I have the nerves, but It is hard to worry too much when you are watching the routine through a tiny screen Of course, when I get home and watch on the computer, the nerves are there - even though I know the outcome in advance.

 

[Krystan]

Totally normal! Advice? Sit with other gym families you like. It's nice to be able to joke, put things in perspective. We usually video each other's kids' routines because it's so hard to record your own. There's one mom of a girl on dd's team who literally NEVER watches her dd compete. She looks in the other direction, has another mom tape it, and watches it afterward, when she knows that she made it through in one piece! Is suppose it might be less stressful...

 

[htimcj]

It definitely doesn't get easier since the skills just get harder. There is one mom at my DD gym who will not watch her DD or ANYONE on beam, not her DD, not other teammates not even college girls. She just looks away.

 

[MaddieLarsongymnastmom]

Oh they will never go away! This is our third season competing and I still freak out! Haha especially beam! Let's put it this way.. Our gym hosted our annual Pikes Peak Cup this past weekend and Mary Lou Retton's daughter McKenna competed as a level 10.. Mary Lou was so nervous during her beam routine haha. Doesnt matter how long your kid has been competing, how famous you are, when your kid is up.. You are nervous! Haha. Hang in there!

 

[gothgymmom]

I get nervous first thing in the morning even before we leave for the meet lol..rushing around to make breakfast, do DD's hair right and neat, making sure we have everything we need....its stressful, and thats all before the meet! at meet i stress about how shes gonna do and if shes gonna mess around or pay attention, get hurt, trying to write down everyones scores, etc...im a wreck when it comes to her meets lol..but at the end im nice and calm ready to calm her down if shes upset by not placing, or not getting a 9 like she has been crying about lately.

 

[JoyAvenueMom]

I have considered a pre-meet adult beverage...but decided that might not be the right impression to give my dd. They work so hard to have only a few short moments to show what they can do. And one little mistake.... I especially HATE watching beam...but just CAN'T look away!

 

[wnl256]

My daughters second ever meet is tomorrow and I'm wondering when MY nerves will go away. I have so much anxiety for her.

I'm very good at hiding it all but I don't know why I get so nervous! My son is very active in sports but all team ones like baseball and basketball.

Any advice for a nervous mom?

Sorry, but I have to agree with everyone else here. It won't go away. The skills just get harder, so you have new things to get nervous about.

Gymnastics is more like a performance than it is a team sport. The gymnast has one chance to get it right (well, two for vault). You can't help but be nervous for them. They're going out there to be judged and told how imperfect they are.

I'm usually doing a video or taking pictures, which helps distract me a bit. Otherwise I just focus on how amazing she is and how far she has advanced.

 

[gymmiemom]

I am so thankful for the really good friends I have made in the gym to sit with at meets. We help distract each other

But I am always a nervous wreck the day of a meet. DD hasn't been so far in her short career (2nd year of competition) and is always sure she is going to win .

My husband isn't able to go to very many meets since we have 3 other children in sports as well, so when he is for some reason at a meet, my nerves are WAY worse because he gets so into it. I told him that the next time he is able to go and it's one where I can fix DD's hair and send her out the door that I am going to stay home drink wine and wait for the texts to come in. I think it sounds fabulous