Yes, of course parents can be too pushy. There is always a fine line between positive encouragement and pushing for results. I often have to bite my tongue when talking with my girls about gym. I used to coach, so I know a lot about what they are doing. I also know a lot about the levels that they will progress through in the sport. Most parents in our gym know nothing and often ask me for the info that they need.
It is hard to sit on the sidelines and want to know what is going on with your kid. In school we certainly quaestion what is going on with our kids. But, it often seems that if we ask the coach"what level will she do this year?" or "what training group will she be in?", we are made to feel as though we are pushy or critical of their skills. When mostly we just want to plan our lives so that it works for the whole family, not just the gymnast.
As for coaching your kids, I don't think I could with my youngest, my oldest would be no problem. They have asked at home and I have spotted BHS on the tramp and BWO's on floor, no sweat. But, they are not allowed to whine at me. Though now they are way beyond those skills we keep it in the gym where it belongs.
Three of our coaches have girls in the gym, they have all ended up coaching their kids to some degree. It mostly is fine, but it does seem that the main issues are personality issues and jealousy from other kids. Obviously the coaches kids get to train more hours (it's free for them) and they get to compete at a younger age, they get to be in the training groups that work best for the parents. That is life, but it does create tension amongst the other kids and parents. Other coaches have also been known to complain about the perceived favouritism.
All of the coaches kids have progressed well and seem to reach their potential, as the more gnarly personanlities have aged they seem to have mellowed too.
Pushy parents will always be there, this generation is very involved in their kids lives. They want to have it all and will demand, I get that it is tough for coaches, but they are in a child based service industry and we the parents pay the bills and want our kids to be the best that they can be. Parents can get carried away with that. Perhaps gym report cards and progress reports would be nice, occasional meetings with caoches too. We cannot approach them in the gym, too busy. We can't call them at home, we are often made to feel like tha bad guy, when all we want to know is "what is going on with my kid?"
Just my usual 10 cents worth
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