Parents Gym parents

[Flip4funmom]

I'm sure a version of this has been asked before but.... am I the only one who feels like they don't "belong" with the other gym parents (specifically the moms) I don't know if it's because I have my son in a predominantly girl gym, or since I have to bring his siblings I'm "the annoying mom with all the kids" or it's just me and my socially awkward self. I guess I'm just wondering if everyone experiences this.

 

[mandkmom]

You are not alone. I have just stopped coming to the gym except for the last few minutes to pick up. Meet season wasn't always the best, but actually made a few friends that felt just like me. [emoji846]

 

[mommeeluv]

Do you try to talk with them? I noticed I'm a bit quiet around other parents lol so I'm kinda okay with it it's my fault lol

 

[klv8]

On one of the days, I visit with the other moms. We've kind of gotten to know each other, and I actually enjoy that time. On the other day, it's kind of a different group of moms in the waiting area. I'm sure they are all super nice people, but I just haven't really been able to connect. Most of them have kids that are a fair bit older than mine, so I think that's part of it.....and there are also a LOT of moms there that day, and I'm not great at reaching out in that scenario.

 

[Kristie]

I have issues really connecting with ANY people, let alone often cliquey gym moms. LOL But really, some people I do and others I don't. Most I don't because they have either known each other forever and therefore I don't fit in or I just don't personality wise match up with them. My kids aren't on team yet so maybe that will change once they are but for now, I'm not sweating it.

 

[Deleted member 18037]

Not a club I have a driving desire to be a part of. They are all nice enough. The insanity of watching practice and correcting their kids and stuff. Not for me.

 

[duyetanh]

Not a club I have a driving desire to be a part of. They are all nice enough. The insanity of watching practice and correcting their kids and stuff. Not for me.

I have to say that I just don't want to hang out with them....they are all very nice, and I am nice back. But yeah....just not for me...

 

[Bug's mom]

Ours is a very nice group of parents. We exchange pleasantries and occasionally go out for a bite while the girls are in practice. But I'm not a huge people person (or maybe I have to spend too much time playing nice at work) so I struggle to jump right in to others daily lives. I'm with you on the 'not fitting in' piece even if it is my own doing. Also found there are some 'confidential' discussions happening here and there and because I'm too transparent and straightforward, I inadvertently let some cat out of a bag I didn't know existed. So I feel safer staying out of the fray.

 

[skschlag]

I'll be the minority here. my ds is in gym 20 hours a week. We drive an hour each way. After the rec center, library, and the occasional grocery trip, I am out of things to do, so I am at the gym, watching my shows on my laptop.

I enjoy getting to know the other parents. Some of my absolute best friends are gym parents from our first gym before they closed the boys team. We get together all the time! At our new gym, I now walk with one of the moms 1-2 times a week, and am getting to know others. Some nights, I have a lot to do, so I put on th headphones and get busy. Other nights, I love talking with other parents. But, I am also a social person

 

[mommyof1]

I like several of the parents and have gotten to know them slowly over the course of the past few years, just chatting at pickup and during meets. The parents in my daughter's second-year L3 group are a great bunch, laid-back and down-to-earth, always cheering for every kid to do her best. (Some of the first-year L3 parents are kind of nuts, but we had a couple of those last year too and they all either mellowed out or moved on.) I actually worry about coming across as a CGM myself because I am just a really intense person who tends to research and overanalyze every aspect of parenting and life in general, and the other parents don't seem to be the same way.

 

[LoveGymnastics10]

You are not alone. I don't really feel like I fit in either. There are a handful of parents who always hang out together but they never really come up to talk to me or ask me to join them for a bite to eat or other social gatherings. But maybe it's just me because I'm not a real social person, and I like to keep to myself so I don't try very hard to make conversations.

 

[GYM0M]

There's a pretty big age gap between myself and the other gym parents. 10-15 years for most of them. The truth is we are all nice to each other and speak when we are at the gym and text occasionally in regards to gym stuff, but other than that, we don't have much in common so there aren't many grounds for bond building.......

 

[raenndrops]

I have issues really connecting with ANY people, let alone often cliquey gym moms. LOL But really, some people I do and others I don't. Most I don't because they have either known each other forever and therefore I don't fit in or I just don't personality wise match up with them. My kids aren't on team yet so maybe that will change once they are but for now, I'm not sweating it.

When OG started on team, there were only 7 girls in her level. 2 were repeaters. The other 4 new girls all lived in the same subdivision (within 2 blocks of each other) and were all in the same grade. OG was a year younger and lived in another school district.
A couple of the moms were friendly, but because they carpooled, the parents didn't stay the whole practice. One of the moms had had a bad experience at their former club with her older daughter and gym mama drama, so she was closed off... Except for her carpool friends. It took three years for her to open up some.
I also didn't sweat it, but occasionally it would hurt ME that OG wasn't invited to go out to eat after the home meet even though we wouldn't have been able to go.

 

[lilmisssunshine]

I think it just depends on how well you click. At our gym, boys and girls parents are pretty separated, but I've noticed that some levels are just closer than others. My son's group has awesome parents, but I've noticed that other level parents just aren't as close.

 

[CuriousCate]

I think it just depends on how well you click. At our gym, boys and girls parents are pretty separated, but I've noticed that some levels are just closer than others. My son's group has awesome parents, but I've noticed that other level parents just aren't as close.

I'd say our gym is similar to this. The early levels (preteam and lvl2) you don't really get to know many parents bc you don't necessarily even know who they are until the kids start competing and you see familiar faces at meets. Funny enough, I think the parents at the super early levels are actually a bit more crazy and competitive than later on. My YDD is in this place now and I couldn't pick out a parent to save my life. Meanwhile, my ODD is training level 4 and by now, many of the parents in that group have gotten quite close from sitting nearby at meets, etc and from our DD's getting closer and requesting sleepovers, etc. I've also noticed, however, that the closeness seems to fade out towards lvl 5-7 and then rekindle between 8-10 (these levels practice together and there are so few, they travel FAR for meets, etc, so the parents are super close).

I no longer stay at practice, so often my relationships are based in text messages, but the ones who stay longer really have some strong bonds.

 

[gymmomtotwo]

I enjoy the other gym moms alot. We have all been around long enough that most of the craziness of the earlier years is done. They all made the team, they are all progressing, and people are pretty supportive of all the kids. On the other hand, I am a complete fish out of water with the dance moms for my middle child. I don't even try at all other than to say hi and be pleasant. The best group of parents though is by far the swimming parents. Wonderful group of people

 

[JumpingBean]

I enjoy the other gym moms alot. We have all been around long enough that most of the craziness of the earlier years is done. They all made the team, they are all progressing, and people are pretty supportive of all the kids. On the other hand, I am a complete fish out of water with the dance moms for my middle child. I don't even try at all other than to say hi and be pleasant. The best group of parents though is by far the swimming parents. Wonderful group of people

I was just about to write that I am the opposite. I click with the dance moms but not with the gym moms. At the studio there is a small cozy waiting area and because there are only two rooms and each class is only 8 kids in each there is a close group of parents that's pretty constant. There is very little drama because we've been together for a very long time. There is no drama that I know of at gym (but I am not very involved and my daughter is pre-team, so she doesn't compete), but there are lots of kids and parents of different levels and rec classes in a large waiting area, and they are changing constantly so the atmosphere isn't really conducive to bonding.