I'm writing this in the hopes that it's cathartic in addition to getting some outside advice. I'm about as close to as mad as I was when Ashley spread poo all over her walls when she was 3! Of course then she was 3, and though she understood what she was doing was bad...she was still 3 and my irritation was tempered with patience. Now she's 6 and has discovered her inner diva, who has been making unwelcome appearances at gymnastics.
To make matters worse, she takes classes where I work. I honestly think my gym is the best place to have her at. In preschool classes she did not have to do the splits. Since she turned 6 in March and moved up to girls rec, she's had to do them. Honestly never her favorite thing, but she did them. Her coach moved last week and is no longer teaching at our location. Last week, she walked out on the splits saying she had a headache. Her coach found me to tell me that she disobeyed when she was asked to stay. I had her apologize to her coach and she went back to class a-ok. This week, she had a new coach she has never met (I haven't either) and proceeded to have a meltdown during the warm up. Her coach told her to get in her splits because the class was waiting for her, one of the kids told her to hurry up, and Ashley hit her on the leg. A coach she knows told Ashley that is not acceptable and she was going to get me. Ashley responded 'Don't you dare.' Yeah.
So of course she gets me. I tell Ashley her behavior is unnaceptable, to apologize to the girl and never talk back to any coach. She knows better, I know she does. She told me 'I hate gymnastics.' When I said 'Okay, lets go home then.' she all the sudden wanted to stay in class. So she goes out, and her coach starts sympathizing with her and hugging her, and of course Ashley gets all teary and eats it up. Coach offers for her to sit next to her while she coaches. I let it go for 10 minutes, when Ashley was still sitting I called her from class since all she was doing was being a distraction. We went home.
I switched her class to an earlier time. I have no problem with her new coach though. I'm grasping at straws here, hoping that maybe she is just too tired and grumpy that late after school. Her class was from 7-8, now it will be right after school. Potential problem: her coaches that hour are 3 of the strictest ones in the gym. She got an earful on the way home about willfully disobeying her coach and being disrespectful to her whole class by refusing to do her splits. I told her about the class switch, and warned her that tantrum behavior and general brattiness will get her exactly nowhere with her new coaches. I also did throw in that she's lucky to go to gym, even if she doesn't realize it. Freaking out, being mean, and mouthing off to adults will not earn her a ticket out of it.
I'm at a loss. She never ever did this with her old coach. Also she has always been aware that it's where I work and knows that bad behavior is even less acceptable because of it. If this is a power struggle, how do I win without wreaking havoc on whatever class she's in? I can't bow down to this behavior though. Grrrrrrr
To make matters worse, she takes classes where I work. I honestly think my gym is the best place to have her at. In preschool classes she did not have to do the splits. Since she turned 6 in March and moved up to girls rec, she's had to do them. Honestly never her favorite thing, but she did them. Her coach moved last week and is no longer teaching at our location. Last week, she walked out on the splits saying she had a headache. Her coach found me to tell me that she disobeyed when she was asked to stay. I had her apologize to her coach and she went back to class a-ok. This week, she had a new coach she has never met (I haven't either) and proceeded to have a meltdown during the warm up. Her coach told her to get in her splits because the class was waiting for her, one of the kids told her to hurry up, and Ashley hit her on the leg. A coach she knows told Ashley that is not acceptable and she was going to get me. Ashley responded 'Don't you dare.' Yeah.
So of course she gets me. I tell Ashley her behavior is unnaceptable, to apologize to the girl and never talk back to any coach. She knows better, I know she does. She told me 'I hate gymnastics.' When I said 'Okay, lets go home then.' she all the sudden wanted to stay in class. So she goes out, and her coach starts sympathizing with her and hugging her, and of course Ashley gets all teary and eats it up. Coach offers for her to sit next to her while she coaches. I let it go for 10 minutes, when Ashley was still sitting I called her from class since all she was doing was being a distraction. We went home.
I switched her class to an earlier time. I have no problem with her new coach though. I'm grasping at straws here, hoping that maybe she is just too tired and grumpy that late after school. Her class was from 7-8, now it will be right after school. Potential problem: her coaches that hour are 3 of the strictest ones in the gym. She got an earful on the way home about willfully disobeying her coach and being disrespectful to her whole class by refusing to do her splits. I told her about the class switch, and warned her that tantrum behavior and general brattiness will get her exactly nowhere with her new coaches. I also did throw in that she's lucky to go to gym, even if she doesn't realize it. Freaking out, being mean, and mouthing off to adults will not earn her a ticket out of it.
I'm at a loss. She never ever did this with her old coach. Also she has always been aware that it's where I work and knows that bad behavior is even less acceptable because of it. If this is a power struggle, how do I win without wreaking havoc on whatever class she's in? I can't bow down to this behavior though. Grrrrrrr