Parents discipline in the gym

[Flip4funmom]

How does it work? at what point do I bring it up with the coach?

as some of you know my son is 4.5 and had been going since july. he loved going, for upset if he had to miss, up until a few weeks ago. there is a new boy in his class who just doesn't pay attention, disrupts the other kids, and irritates my son. it's to the point where weslan doesn't want to go because of this boy. they end up together alot since they are close in age and it just isn't working out. I would hate for this to be the reason my son doesn't want to do something he loved just a few weeks ago

 

[MaryA]

I think that sometimes coaches don't know that one kid's behavior bothers other kids in the group. I would say something. Maybe it's just a matter of your son getting matched with someone different when they partner up. Or maybe you speaking up will let the coach know it's something that needs to be addressed rather than just endured. I'm sure that the coach would rather have you to speak up than have your son quit.

 

[Doubletrouble]

Maybe try talking to your son first about strategies for dealing with kids he finds annoying and distracting. I know he is still young but he will need this skill for school as there are limits to what a teacher can do with kids at the higher end of the misbehaviour scale. If that doesn't work, I would talk to the coach in very diplomatic terms asking for help in how to get your son to block out distractions!

 

[Madden3]

Talk to the coach, do not even hesitate. My guess is that by this point, they know there is a problem but perhaps are not sure how to handle it. A respectfully worded complaint from a parent may be the impetus needed for them to get more proactive in finding better strategies for this age group. Be diplomatic of course, but honest. Certainly you can also suggest coping strategies to your son, but realistically there is not much you can expect kids to do when it comes to this kind of distraction, especially little guys.

And try not to blame the other boy. Gym practices are very long and tend to be boring and speaking generally, boys in particular just do not have the attention span and are going to act up if they are not more constantly engaged. Maybe not your son, mine also had an unusual ability to focus at a young age. But this is not the norm. At our gym, boys this age are not sharing a typical gym practice with the team kids at all- if they show promise there is a special program for them where they are pretty much moving all the time, doing lots of floor stuff in particular and other things where they can work simultaneously and are not having to wait their 'turn' on equipment so much.

Also I suggest, be as specific as possible. What exactly is the kid doing that bothers your son and when does it usually happen.

 

[Deleted member 18037]

Many 4-5 year olds just can't focus. They are little kids being little kids.

I would ask the coach to separate them as much as possible but beyond that there is not much you can do. You could try giving your son some ways to deal with the kid. The reality is he is probably going to come across a bunch of irritating people in his life. But he too is just a little boy.

I remember when my peanut was in 1st grade, there was a kid, let's call her Suzy. She was a real pain to my daughter. And my daughter would say I can't wait till next year, hopefully Suzy will be in a different class. And I would tell her there will just be another Suzy. And sure enough there was. There is always another Suzy. And guess what, last year in 4th grade, little Suzy was in our group on the field trip, and she has grown up a lot. And she no longer a pain.