Linsul, I'm kind of surprised you'd say that.
Well when you take it out of the context it was posted in it does sound surprising lol! It's the give an inch take a mile caution that makes coaches call parents or seem strict about that one day they miss workout. I've seen it happen. It's not a happy meeting between the coaches and the parents when team workouts start morphing into the optional attendance very last priority slot of life. Scores suffer, feelings get hurt, skills aren't maintained or built on, maybe even lost, consistency goes out the window, expectations are everywhere, and standards are anyones guess. It's an environment that in the end nobody wants to be in.
What I stated is an extreme, and an example I have personal experience with. Not what I think is going on here, but I can provide an opinion from both sides as a parent and a coach so I do. I said I don't think that it was wrong in this case to keep the gymnast home, but I stand by the coach not being a jerk for calling (as long as he was polite). This is no harm no foul in my opinion, parent is being a good parent, coach is being a good coach. Good looking out on both sides.
Why is taking a day off so dire?? To me, it's the smart & safe decision. I mean... it's JUST GYM! I don't think she's training for Nationals or Olympic trials. I think all it's doing is teaching her health and saftey is MORE important then gym!
Where am I going wrong?
You're not going wrong at all if you, DD, and her coaches are on the same page. Health and safety are indeed the most important things.
BTW: I'll also keep my DD home from gym if homework isn't completed. School is first and is mandatory. Gym is a privilege. While it's VERY rare that this happen's, as a coach, do you disagree?
No I don't disagree, and do the same thing. My daughter is only in rec, but it still applies. She missed 3 classes in a month because she wanted to push that rule. She got to sit in the staff room and write out her sight words while her class was going on right outside. Tears ensued, begging, and she got shut down. Sucks on two fronts actually.
She is allowed to come to the gym while I work and have her run of the place as long as nobody wants to use the equipment she's on. She's got 3 hours to play and do her homework, and if she chooses play over homework she doesn't come to work with me again for a week. I can't have anything but
zero tolerance for bad decision making at the gym if she's allowed to do what she wants. Someone could get hurt or a class could be disrupted. We don't dwell on it when it happens, but thems the breaks.
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