Parents Moms Who Critique Other Kids: A Short Vent

[LoveGymnastics10]

We have a CGM at our gym. She is always at practice watching her kid and everyone else's. I rarely go in to watch but when I do, it may be for the last 15 minutes of practice. But she always tries to talk to me and she is always comparing her kid to everyone else's in a negative way. She talks about how long it takes other kids to learn skills that she claims her DD learns in 2 days. She also points out some of the skills that my own DD is struggling on and tells me how she needs to fix them. I just don't understand how she knows these things because I couldn't tell you a single thing that another gymnast is struggling on! I don't pay attention to any of them but my own DD. I avoid going in there because of her which is sad because I really love watching practice sometimes, but at the same time I want to stay away from those types of people.

 

[Gymmommy71]

I'd like to see attrition rates from gyms that allow watching versus gyms that don't. Given a big enough sample, we might be able to draw some conclusions on whether parental watching has any impact on career longevity.

Perhaps the reason you see a lot of crazy at your gym is that you are a highly competitive gym attracting highly competitive parents. Just a thought. Most gyms allow watching and I don't believe most of them have large numbers of crazy parents.

I think parent watching makes the parent a lot more miserable than the kid. There are a lot of young kids who enjoy having the parent there, but they usually outgrow it around age 10-11.

 

[Ms.Pak-Man]

I had a CGM text me a video of my dd face planting into the vault at a meet, a meet I was present at (so I witnessed it live) , and we are not particularly chatty/friendly with one another. I still don't know what the deal was, she likely meant to send it to one of the other CGMs to enjoy seeing my dd fail.

My advice to all new gym moms is to make sure you have a life. Most of the epically bad CGMs are way too wrapped up in it b/c they are over-invested emotionally in their child's success. The supportive, kind, moms are the ones who don't stay much at practice and are running off to mind their own affairs.

 

[RTT2]

I had a CGM text me a video of my dd face planting into the vault at a meet, a meet I was present at (so I witnessed it live) , and we are not particularly chatty/friendly with one another. I still don't know what the deal was, she likely meant to send it to one of the other CGMs to enjoy seeing my dd fail.

Wow. Did you ask her why she was taking a video of your kid in the first place?

 

[Ms.Pak-Man]

Wow. Did you ask her why she was taking a video of your kid in the first place?

Nope, I just ignored the text/video. I have no idea. I can barely catch my own kid on video, let alone take video of other kids. I know that this family viewed my kid as the goal of who they wanted to outscore, tho. The previous year their child (same age division) was always a few spots down the podium from dd. But the next year I believe, trying to remember, that my dd was usually a few spots lower. Just one of those things where they were similar in skill and age so dd got targeted as the one she needed to beat. The family is competitive minded and wants their dd to do elite or college gym. Mine wants to go to art school [emoji23]. And I'd say "no thank you" to anything beyond JO anyway, given the option. Why am I paying for this, oh yea, because she loves it and I love her (repeated over, and over when our gym statement arrives).

 

[girlwithgoals]

There was a bat s**t crazy CGM at our gym. She had no filter and she was loud! I would cringe when I would come to pick up my dd and she'd be there, she was almost always there. Her dd was training level 8 but she thought she was preparing for the next Olympics. She would bad mouth the kids and the coaches, one in particular in front of everyone and boast about how her dd was taking pvt lessons at another gym. She would do this all right in front of me knowing that I work there. Needless to say she's bad mouthing other kids and different coaches now. We are currently without a CGM at the moment and it's so nice...

 

[girlwithgoals]

There was a bat s**t crazy CGM at our gym. She had no filter and she was loud! I would cringe when I would come to pick up my dd and she'd be there, she was almost always there. Her dd was training level 8 but she thought she was preparing for the next Olympics. She would bad mouth the kids and the coaches, one in particular in front of everyone and boast about how her dd was taking pvt lessons at another gym. She would do this all right in front of me knowing that I work there. Needless to say she's bad mouthing other kids and different coaches now. We are currently without a CGM at the moment and it's so nice...

I hear you!!! Well the HC and gym owner is lucky to have you as an employee to hear what is going on with the parents and at least you really work there. We have a CGM who owns a dance studio and teaches the girls ballet once a week for an hour and she "claims" to work for the gym - it is ridiculous!! AND she is not effective at all with the girls - she has no idea what she is doing when it comes to teaching the girls ballet for gymnastics. In fact, my dd only goes to the class because they are very urged to do so by their HC and she doesn't want to rock the boat - that is actually why most of the girls participate!! They just do it to make their HC happy and basically ignore everything she tells them to do. The funny thing is that she too is a CGM and thinks her daughter is going to the olympics or at least elite; which is pretty hysterical because the HC clearly doesn't believe she has the talent to be elite as he won't even coach her - he pawns her off to his assistant coach. If he thought for a minute that she would be an elite gymnast he would take the time to coach her - not pawn her off. At the end of the day - it is up to the kid and the coach to work together and it is not up to parents to push kids onto the coaches - that just makes it challenging for everyone. So I hear you when you say you are glad your CGM is gone - I wish ours would leave too!!! Enjoy the break from CGM's - I am sure another will eventually show up!!!