Parents Positive brags about your DD

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I feel like I've been really negative lately and complaining about DD's gym and coach. It's hard not to be negative, but sometimes it helps just to think of all the really great things your DD is getting out of gymnastics even if the coaching isn't the greatest. So please join in and share all the great qualities your child is gaining from gym.

For DD who is just 5, she is incredibly mature for her age. I teach kinder so I know what most kids her age act like firsthand. I think this comes partly from being on the Level 4 team with older girls and being expected to be at their level maturity wise. Her ability to work independently has grown by leaps and bounds since she moved to Level 4. She will work beam for the entire 45 minute rotation without constant instruction. She used to wait for someone to tell her what to do and then once that was done she'd stand there and wait for the next instruction.

She is so tough. She may not be the best on her team or have any gym talent at all, but she is one of the toughest. She never complains or whines about conditioning. She's always happy and having fun. She can fall and hurt herself and she gets right back up and goes with no problem. I'm not talking really hurting herself, I'm talking like split the beam, bang her shin on the bar, rips etc, least anyone think I'm letting her work out hurt. Most girls on the team are still at the point where if they get a rip they cry and sit out. They cry sometimes during conditioning. I'm so proud of her for being positive and hardworking.

She's a good friend. She comforts her teammates and claps for them during practice. That's my favorite and she sometimes gets in trouble for it because she's watching her friend and cheering for them rather than focusing on her work. But as a mom I'm proud of her for that.
 
My daughter has learned self-control through gymnastics. She has always been a ball of energy. When she was in her early classes, this meant lots of running around in the gym even when she was supposed to be working a specific apparatus. She would come out of the gym to reconnect with me every 15 minutes. She would flop and flail everywhere, sometimes totally out of control. Okay okay....she was a coach's nightmare.

But over the past two or three years, she has grown and matured and has learned to harness her energy. She can stay on task and work independently. She still refuses to walk from station to station, choosing to cartwheel everywhere in the gym right now. But it's controlled. Now she only comes out of the gym once every two hours.

Mainly she just amazes me inside and outside of the gym. I am so blessed to have this ball of fire in my life to keep me honest, keep me amused, and keep me grounded. What can I say.....I love Bella more than my own life.
 
Your DD sounds alot like my DD. She has always been pretty mature and independent for her age.

I think from her gymnastics experience she has learned more how to manage that maturity and independence. How to work as an indevidual to a team goal. She has learned to not give up on something. Keep working and you will get it. She has learned that sometimes others do know better. And sometimes you have to put your faith completly in someone elses hands. (ie..even though the thought of doing something might be scarey to her..to trust the coach that she would never ask her to anything that she thought she would get hurt doing..and to trust that the coach is going to be right there to catch her if she falls.) She is very determined..she will keep doing things until she feels like she has done it good enough/enough times. Like with her handstand, the coach would have her do a couple, with the basics of form being there, but not being too nit picky about it. But Kadee would reject a certain handstand even though the coach was happy with it (her just starting it,didnt expect it to be perfect, but Kadee did) because she forgot to point her toes, or wasnt completly verticle. She does the same in school. She had to write her name 7 times the other day because she didnt write her K perfectly. She will just keep doing it till it is "perfect". She is very sympathetic and empathetic...she is so happy for her friends and team mates when they reach their goals (in school and gym)..and she feels bad for them when they dont. She is the first to offer a high five, a pat on the back, or a hug if needed.
She is really the same person she was before. Shes always been this way..but she is a much stronger, hightened version of herself. She is only 5 and a L2 but she is mature and wise beyond her years. And I truely look forward to seeing how she grows physcialy, mentaly and emotionaly in this sport and life.
Once comp season starts, it will be interesting to see how she responds to NOT winning. I think she will be bummed..probably upset with herself..nit pick herself to death on what she did wrong...then hit the gym with a vengence. I just hope she doesnt become to obssesive about it.
 
My dd has been involved with some sort of organized sport since she was 6 years old. She is now 11 and is in the 6th grade. She has always been very organized, independent, responsibile and self-motivated when it comes to schoolwork, getting ready for practices, and working hard and diligently at whatever sport or activity she is doing.

DD is currently managing a 6th grade school curriculum (maintaining an A or B average in all classes), 10 hrs/wk of gymnastics, 5 1/2 hrs/wk of ballet and has a few "off days" during the week of free time to chill out and do whatever. I am very proud of how she has grown and matured through the years becoming a very responsible, hardworking, happy and "balanced" young lady :).
 
Emma 11 is a wonderful and delightful sixth grader. She manages grades of a's or b's and is in the gym 6 to 7 days a week either taking classes or volunteering as a jr coach. She loves to read and reads about a book a week. She has wonderful faith that is a joy to see. She is passionate about gymnastics. Overall she is caring and sweet girl. :) Very proud of her!!!!
Ellie 6 almost 7 is a sweet and low key child. In first grade, she is making straight A's. She is in the gym 3 days a week. She is a daredevil. She decided she could do front punches and attempted it without us seeing and got a cut on her eye from her knee. She just said oops and kept going. She is my lawyer. She will stand her ground completely and tell you the reasons why rationally or as rationally as a 6 year old can! She is a sweetie and joy!
I am EXTREMELY blessed and thank God for it everyday!
 
Pickle is proof that smart girls rule! She decided at 6 she wanted to be an astrophysicist and she’s still working towards that goal. Last year she became enchanted with Greek mythology when she was learning about the origin of constellation names. She now has become obsessed with Norse mythology. She loves the strong female gods. Athena was not just the goddess of wisdom, she was the goddess of battle strategy and no one could beat her. Freya may be the Norse goddess of beauty, but she’s also a warrior goddess with great wisdom.

Pickle has that same attitude. She feels like her body and mind need to be strong and work together. Gymnastics is a wonderful blend of mental and physical exertion for her. I’m so glad that she found this outlet.
 
She would flop and flail everywhere, sometimes totally out of control. Okay okay....she was a coach's nightmare.

But over the past two or three years, she has grown and matured and has learned to harness her energy. She can stay on task and work independently. She still refuses to walk from station to station, choosing to cartwheel everywhere in the gym right now. But it's controlled. Now she only comes out of the gym once every two hours.

Mainly she just amazes me inside and outside of the gym. I am so blessed to have this ball of fire in my life to keep me honest, keep me amused, and keep me grounded. What can I say.....I love Bella more than my own life.
This so sounds like DD. I miss those days now that she is six. She was too cute bouncing from place to place. Her coaches said at this rambuctious time, "Okay, what did we expect from a 5 yo?!" I am glad they had the patience with her. Your DD will learn so much through gymnastics about life. You will see.
My little DD is so focused and determined outside of the gym. I used to worry how she would relate with her older teammates. Now a year and a half later, she is just one of 'them'. In fact she has caught the eye of many older kids outside of gym too. Speaking to DD is like talking to a much older kid. She really is extremely mature. I don't think I have had to go through a whiny stage with her. We tell her no about what she can and can't do and she says, "Okay, I get it." WHAT? It works for me better than the "Why? Why?" any day.
Gymnastics and the need to time manage has helped to develop a far more responsible, dedicated, determined, hard working 6 yo. I can't wait to see how much more together this kid will be as she ages. Gymnastics has always been a sport of choice for me for my kids because of the many life lessons it affords all that are involved. These life lessons are what I am the most grateful and in awe as a whole. I don't know what will happen in the gym with DD, but these life long skills she will always take and apply where need be in her life. :)
 
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Sounds like everybody's daughters has matured from this sport. My daughter has always seemed more mature than a lot of kids her age. I think it is her take charge attitude maybe gymnastics has contributed to this or maybe it is why it seems to be the perfect sport for her. She gets along great with both her older teammates and younger ones too. She even makes friends with girls from other teams at clinics or meets. I do think it definitley helps keep her focused with school. Interestingly enough when she was injured and when she was thinking about quitting she had a difficult time with her school work. She also is very goal oriented she wants to become a physical therpist because when she was injured it really helped her. She is also become responsible she will call her self out of practice when she is sick and she even calls the gym if we are running into traffic and she thinks we will be late without even being told to. Like everybody else i am very proud of her.
 
My dd is the opposite maturity wise..she is 8 now but in some regards much much younger than her same age peers. She also has some learning issues and is currently being tested for a learning disability. Shes been involved in gymnastics since she was 2, and it has helped with her focus and determination in ways I cannot even begin to explain. Her school is also into the "no competition" thing and does not allow kids to experience losing in any way shape or form..and when they have races or things like that if winners celebrate they get in trouble:mad: I am SO glad she has the gym to learn how to be a gracious winner and loser and that life is like that..sometimes your the statue sometimes your the pigeon..kwim?
 
I get frustrated by the gym Kathy goes to too, and have ocasionally "nudged" her (sometimes harder than others) to switch, but she is completely devoted to her teammates and to her coaches too. She never speaks negatively about them and is genuinely happy when one of her teammates masters a new skill, even if it's one that Kathy herself is struggling with.

She loves to compete and is thrilled when she comes home with a medal or a trophy, yet she is still upbeat when she doesn't do as well as she'd like. I've never seen her cry at a meet. She's always just happy to be there.

She loves younger children and they seem drawn to her. I see her earning her spending money in high school by coaching and/or babysitting.

I am proud of my Kathy for being an individual and for not letting anyone, not even her dear old mom, bully her into making a decision that she doesn't feel is right!:D
 
Sorry, but this is a big brag.

My DD works out 19 hours a week, as a level 7, and is in 8th grade taking advanced courses. She is also on the leadership team at her school, which travels to elementary schools to introduce students to middle school life. Socially, she has several friends, both inside and outside of the gym. She is extremely good at problem solving, and can give out advice like an expert who has been a psychologist for decades. She likes fashion, and has been able to pick out her own clothes (better than I do) since kindergarten. Last, but not least, she copes with having a little sis who has medical problems.

MamaofEnS
 
My 5 year old dd is confident, loving, team spirited, happy, and determined. She is a leader who is super organized and knows how to get things done. She is hard working and never gives up. This is a girl who had to be taught how to walk, talk and eat so we have come a long way.
Gymnastics has given her her wings. I would have never imagined she would be as strong and well rounded as she is today. If she quit gymnastics today, we have gotten lifelong benefits like strength, balance and confidence.
 
ZZ has come a long way physically. We adopted her when she was 8 1/2 months old and she was quite a bit behind due to a lack of opportunities to develop. She continued to be very wobbly for a couple of years and only recently started to seem like other kids her age from a coordination standpoint.

Since she started in gym in May at 4 1/2, she has become much more coordinated and I'm sure people at the gym would be surprised if they knew she was ever delayed.

Otherwise, she is funny, outgoing, energetic (hop, hop, hop), sweet, stubborn, graceful (beautiful pointed toes) and full of attitude.

Best Wishes,

ZZMom
 

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