Let me try to explain, from the perspective of a parent with some time on the clock, so to speak.
Many parents on these boards came into gymnastics, as I did, with very little prior knowledge about the sport, so there's nothing wrong with having a lot to learn. And it's wonderful when parents are supportive of and involved in their children's pursuits and dreams. But gymnastics is different in a lot of ways from most of the sports kids do. My partner and I had a great time playing catch and pitching balls to my son in the backyard when he was 2 and 3, and when he started Little League, he knew the game pretty well. Likewise with soccer -- it doesn't take all that much beyond just time playing the sport and a few pointers here and there to learn the basics. It's only when they get older and more serious about the sport that they begin to need real professional coaching from someone who understands the physical dynamics and motor skills associated with the sport.
In gymnastics, it can take months of expert coaching to teach the most basic skills. I could probably teach a kid how to execute a roundoff, having now seen approximately 2 billion of them, but I would not be able to give that kid the capacity to do a roundoff that would ground the acquisition of all the skills that build from the roundoff. I simply do not know enough. And if I were to attempt to teach a kid to do a roundoff, it would probably take an expert coach a good month to reteach the skill properly to enable moving on.
The other and more important issue is safety. The worst thing that will happen if Mommy is pitching to little Jimmy in the backyard is that little Jimmy might get hit by a pitch and end up with a bruise on his arm. The worst thing that will happen if Mommy is encouraging Jimmy to do front tucks on a backyard trampoline when Jimmy has not learned the skill properly in the gym under the supervision of a coach is that Jimmy will end up dead or paralyzed. And there are some tumbling skills that simply are not appropriate for very young children, no matter how talented and eager they are, because their bodies simply do not yet have the physical maturity to manage them safely. Kids will always try to push the envelope. That's why your preferred Deity gave 'em parents with the wisdom to say no now and then and keep them safe.
Finally, a lot of the folks on these boards have seen parents who become too invested in their kids' sports and gradually, subtly, the sport becomes more the parent's than the child's. This is especially true in a sport that takes years of hard work and sacrifice to reach the lowest competitive levels. Only your daughter's drive, interest, and determination can make her a great gymnast, not your enthusiasm and encouragement (though these help at the margin). If it becomes about you rather than her, the most likely outcome is that she will end up dropping out long before she reaches her natural potential. I've seen this in several sports, not just gymnastics.
Your daughter obviously loves gymnastics and has natural talent. Let her lead you, and let her coaches coach her.
