Parents Cried in front of the coach :/

[Aggie]

My daughter had a rough gymnastics practice today. She couldn’t land a skill, another gymnast made a comment, and she got really upset. Her coach comforted her, and I got emotional too—ended up crying when her coach came to talk to me about it after.

Other parents saw me and now I feel awkward. I’m not upset about her skill level. Just seeing her struggle breaks my heart, and I tend to cry in emotional moments. Even though I know it’s good for her! I have told myself all the things, but I’m just a crier.

Has anyone else cried in front of a coach? I’m so embarrassed.

 

[Dream]

I am sure coaches have dealt with all kinds of emotions and wouldnt worry about it.

 

[Coach Kate]

Parents have cried in front of me all the time. You love your kids and want the best for them.

 

[Aggie]

Parents have cried in front of me all the time. You love your kids and want the best for them.

Thanks for your perspective! Feeling a bit better about the situation.

 

[BusyMomof2]

I get easily emotional too (commercials, books, you name it) and have most definitely gotten weepy in front of coaches - for both positive and negative situations. I think they are well accustomed to it.

 

[Aggie]

Yes! I am the same way. Sometimes I just feel silly. Thanks for reminding me know I’m not alone here!

 

[XCEL_GymMom23]

I have had to fight back tears when talking to a coach about my daughter's mental health due to bullying by some of her teammates. Don't be embarrassed, this just shows how much you care about your daughter's well-being and happiness.

 

[GymDadWA]

Once she got older and really close with the coaches my DD cried in front of them all the time. Tears of frustration on learning hard skills, tears of fear when she is nervous to work them into her routines, tears of joy when it finally happens.

Coaches cry along with her sometimes because they understand the process and the struggle. Gymnastics is hard, there are a lot of emotions that need to come out.

 

[ginnastix]

I come from a family of crybabies. I know different cultures have different norms around the who/what/when/where/why of crying, but there is also a biological component as well. Some people are just more tearful than others. I can definitely relate to the feeling of embarrassment when I’ve cried in situations when I “shouldn’t have”, but in those moments I never really had a choice—once I feel the urge to cry, the tears will come out no matter what. Kind of like a sneeze. After I “sneeze” the tears, I can think more clearly and calmly.

I personally have decided to accept this quirk about myself than try to be someone who I’m not. If I’m ever in a situation when I need to cry but might offend someone, I either excuse myself from the conversation or offer an explanation for why I’m crying. “Sorry this is how my body responds when I feel strongly about something. The tears will go away soon.”

All of this to say, I don’t think you should worry about crying in front of coach

 

[Aggie]

I come from a family of crybabies. I know different cultures have different norms around the who/what/when/where/why of crying, but there is also a biological component as well. Some people are just more tearful than others. I can definitely relate to the feeling of embarrassment when I’ve cried in situations when I “shouldn’t have”, but in those moments I never really had a choice—once I feel the urge to cry, the tears will come out no matter what. Kind of like a sneeze. After I “sneeze” the tears, I can think more clearly and calmly.

I personally have decided to accept this quirk about myself than try to be someone who I’m not. If I’m ever in a situation when I need to cry but might offend someone, I either excuse myself from the conversation or offer an explanation for why I’m crying. “Sorry this is how my body responds when I feel strongly about something. The tears will go away soon.”

All of this to say, I don’t think you should worry about crying in front of coach

Thank you for this I think there’s something genetic as well, or maybe environmental influence growing up around criers that’s it’s not taboo.

I have learned throughout my career to excuse myself when I feel it coming on. I have tried to find ways to keep it from happening, but it is undoubtedly how my body wants to respond and fighting it is hard.

But with my daughter being my first, I’m still finding “firsts” where I’ve not known how I will react. This is actually the first time in 5 years of gymnastics the head coach of the gym has spoken with me, so a bit of pressure from that as well.

I am feeling so much better feeling the support today!