Parents New and Scared... 2 Boys in Gymnastics.... Can Someone Help Calm Me Down?

[frogsandlegos]

First let me give you a little background - I basically know NOTHING about gymnastics. My parents never really put me in any extracurricular activity, and fitness was definitely not a priority in our family. Basically I spent most of my days after school watching TV. (I know, SAD)

I have 2 boys, ages 5 and 7 1/2. They have just started gymnastics this summer. My 7 year old is more into science and legos etc etc etc, and out of all of the sports we've tried, this is the only one that he really LIKES. I do not plan for him to be competitve though, we are just doing this for fitness mostly.

Just this past week my 7 year old did a flip and then my five year old did too! At first I was soooooo excted and happy. Honestly I thought they couldn't do those until they were like 10, ha. We actually went to the trampoline park the next day (ironically) and they did lots and lots of them.

WELL, my joy is now saddened b/c long story short, I am now very, very scared they are going to break their necks and get serious injuries. I could handle a broken arm or two, but I am soo scared they are going to get paralyzed. Googling this just made this worse.

Honestly, I thought that even if they land wrong on the trampoline, they are okay because of the cushioning of the trampoline. I thought the risk was only if they fall off (which I don't think will happen) or from doing flips on the floor. One of the moms in the waiting area told me that there is still a risk, even if they don't fall off and land on the trampoline.

I have seriously lost sleep over this. Yes, I have some anxiety issues obiviously.

I have seriously thought of either:

1. Asking them to just not teach them to do flips. THey can do squat jumps or whatever and the thigns they do when they land on their bottoms. I'm afraid if I ask though the coaches will just look at me like i have two heads and say "well maybe they shouldn't be in it". But I HAVE to keep them in it. My 7 year old is slightly overweight, (very slightly) and he is at risk for obesity and I HAVE to keep him in this to keep him active.

2. I noticed that one of the male teachers is actually advertising private gymnastics lessons on craiglists. I thought of just hiring him to teach my sons but saying "I'm only doing this to have him burn calories and gain stregnth, please no flips". What are your thoughts of this

Or maybe , can someone please help reassure me that the risk is very low? If they land on the trampoline, even if they land wrong, what are the risks that they will break their necks.

Sorry I am so paranoid. Thanks for any advice and help.

 

[GymBeeMom]

Take a few deep breaths. YOur boys are perfect ages to do gymnastics and even compete. Competitive gymnastics will allow them to gain strength in their bodies and in their own personal character. I don't believe you should steer them away from risk but rather teach them to be confidant in handling risks. Gymnastics, with the flips and all, is as safe as any other sport if you are in a good facility. PLease try not to let your anxiety interfere with their growth in a wonderful sport. It sounds like this could be hard for you but athletics are such a wonderful part of a child's growth and development, and unfortunately all sports have some level of risk associated with them. YOu may find that, in time, you are able to relax and enjoy watching all the porgress your boys make and all the amazing lessons they learn from gymnastics.

 

[kandkfunk]

Gymnastics can be scary in an uncontrolled environment like a trampoline park. Gymnastics for a 5 & 7 year old should not be scary in a good gymnastics facility. Yes, there are risks but good facilities teach gymnastics in increments where skills can be built upon and skills are only taught when it is safe for the child to proceed.

My first word of advice is not to go to the trampoline park. Yes they are fun but the risks at those places are elevated because there really is little supervision and kids with a little gymnastics knowledge seem to want to attempt skills beyond their level. Leave the teaching of the skills to the professionals in your gym. That is what you are paying them for.

Second, kids get hurt in almost every sport. I have two very active kids and I've seen far more injuries in football and even baseball than in gymnastics. My daughter has been a competitive gymnast for 7 years and I've never seen a catastrophic injury. In the sport of gymnastics, they really are quite rare.

The bottom line is that it's not the flipping that should be scary but the environment in which they are flipping. Keep the flips in the gym and only under the supervision and direction of the coach.

 

[gwenmom]

I agree. Take a few deep breathes. Yes, gymnastics comes with a risk of injury, but then anything in life other than being wrapped in bubble wrap does (this is meant as a joke, not to make light of your concerns).

The thing is with good coaching your child's risk of injury is minimized. No good coach is going to send your boys out to do flips until they have been taught step by step how to do it correctly and spotted many many times until the coach is confident your boys can do it safely.

We have very hard and fast rules in our house about what skills are allowed outside gym. Only skills we deem 'mastered' are allowed outside gym. Ie cartwheels. Can DD do a nice ROBHS? Yes. Is she allowed to do it outside gym? No. I would suggest setting ground rules like this. It will save you a few grey hairs.

On another note, trampoline parks are VERY dangerous. I will not takemy kids to parties there. They are not correctly supervised, no regulated for safety, are overcrowded and IMO dangerous. The staff usually has very little training and the kids have none.

Good luck and welcome to this crazy wonderful sport

 

[Linsul]

I feel your anxiety on a mom level because my son does gymnastics and gets crazy on the trampoline as well. The coach in me knows boys train and learn and do differently from the girls in gymnastics. They typically talk about what they're doing (or are going to do) less and just go for it. I would suggest asking the coach to make sure they know how to fall safely, and to make sure they know it's okay to not go big if they aren't feeling well or have any misgivings. In my experience both momming and coaching, boys need a sign that it's okay to slow down because they are just gogogogogogogogo!

Having said that if they're doing great and know how to fall, try to relax and enjoy! There's nothing more kinetic and fun than a kid having a grand time on a trampoline. If they have all the safety points covered on nice equipment with a vigilant coach it doesn't get any better! In all honesty boys I've seen flipping or learning to flip tend to go straight for the height that allows time for rotation, girls tend to go lower at first out of caution. Sorry if I'm over generalizing but it's what I see from beginning trampoline flip artists. If they have enough height to clear the rotation, it's much safer and frankly easier to spot a bad position coming out of it with room to spare than finishing it for them and *then* spotting the landing if that makes any sense. If they're hands free and going big, that's confidence and good coaching.

 

[htimcj]

In a good gym the risk of injury is pretty low. Skills are taught step by step and they don't usually just attempt skills before they are truly ready to do them safely.

I also wouldn't watch practice too much either because you will see stuff that makes you think everyone is crazy for even trying! But they really can do the skills. Very nerve wracking. Wait to watch until a skill is perfected.

 

[curlymomof3]

This ^^^^. Dd has been competing for a couple years now and I get nervous when I look at the levels above her and the skills they will do. But I have also realized that the coaches will never let her attempt a skill she is not ready for. I have seen more injuries in little league football and baseball with Ds than in gymnastics. Still haven't figured out how to deal with my nerves at the meets though. I don't know if that ever gets easier, lol!!

 

[Deleted member D3987]

First let me give you a little background - I basically know NOTHING about gymnastics. My parents never really put me in any extracurricular activity, and fitness was definitely not a priority in our family. Basically I spent most of my days after school watching TV. (I know, SAD)

I have 2 boys, ages 5 and 7 1/2. They have just started gymnastics this summer. My 7 year old is more into science and legos etc etc etc, and out of all of the sports we've tried, this is the only one that he really LIKES. I do not plan for him to be competitve though, we are just doing this for fitness mostly.

Just this past week my 7 year old did a flip and then my five year old did too! At first I was soooooo excted and happy. Honestly I thought they couldn't do those until they were like 10, ha. We actually went to the trampoline park the next day (ironically) and they did lots and lots of them.

WELL, my joy is now saddened b/c long story short, I am now very, very scared they are going to break their necks and get serious injuries. I could handle a broken arm or two, but I am soo scared they are going to get paralyzed. Googling this just made this worse.

Honestly, I thought that even if they land wrong on the trampoline, they are okay because of the cushioning of the trampoline. I thought the risk was only if they fall off (which I don't think will happen) or from doing flips on the floor. One of the moms in the waiting area told me that there is still a risk, even if they don't fall off and land on the trampoline.

I have seriously lost sleep over this. Yes, I have some anxiety issues obiviously.

I have seriously thought of either:

1. Asking them to just not teach them to do flips. THey can do squat jumps or whatever and the thigns they do when they land on their bottoms. I'm afraid if I ask though the coaches will just look at me like i have two heads and say "well maybe they shouldn't be in it". But I HAVE to keep them in it. My 7 year old is slightly overweight, (very slightly) and he is at risk for obesity and I HAVE to keep him in this to keep him active.

2. I noticed that one of the male teachers is actually advertising private gymnastics lessons on craiglists. I thought of just hiring him to teach my sons but saying "I'm only doing this to have him burn calories and gain stregnth, please no flips". What are your thoughts of this

Or maybe , can someone please help reassure me that the risk is very low? If they land on the trampoline, even if they land wrong, what are the risks that they will break their necks.

Sorry I am so paranoid. Thanks for any advice and help.

slap to your face. please get a hold of yourself. sounds to me you are confusing trampoline parks and backyard trampolines with PROFESSIONAL AND TRAINED GYMNASTICS COACHES THAT COACH IN USAG GYMNASTICS PRIVATE CLUBS. WHERE EVERYTHING IS SUPERVISED BY TRAINED AND REASONABLY EXPERIENCED COACHES. WHERE TRAMPOLINES ARE SUPERVISED AT ALL TIMES.

PLEASE, don't confuse us. and you can type in "death by toothbrush" and probably find something that could cause someone to rethink whether their children should be allowed TO DO THAT UNSUPERVISED.

keep your kids at the gym, don't interfere, DON'T TELL/ASK THEM WHAT YOU JUST POSTED HERE and everything will be okay. okay?

 

[MeetDirector]

F & L -

You said it yourself in the first sentence - you know nothing about this crazy sport. Allow me to suggest that you set out to increase your knowledge to include what it takes for a gymnastics club to be part of the USA Gymnastics organization. The training and safety requirements are quite significant. Are the skills dangerous? Anything can be dangerous in untrained hands. Trampoline parks are probably one of the worst places you could take your kids - there are no safety trained coaches present. One of the worst things that could happen is for you to pass you anxiety and fears onto your boys; if they are having fun let them figure out how to conquer thier own fears and make progress in this sport.

Good Luck!