this issue always fascinates me. and all this discussion about something called observation never took place years ago. is it sexual abuse? is it abuse in general?? is it the anxiety of gymnastics in general??? you want to be there to micromanage in the event that your child becomes injured???? or upset?????
Empowered, if you were always allowed to be "watching the process of your(my) child learning gymnastics" would you know or recognize the difference of what was being taught as correct or incorrect? and the truth is that coaches DO NOT want parents, or especially grandparents observing the early learning stages of ANYTHING level 8 and beyond. why? because it might scare the crap out of someone and could cause an observer to scream out during a practice and freak out the other kids. this is the reality and truth of what your all talking about. isn't anyone concerned about the safety distraction of kids other than their own?
and why is it always asked "what are they trying to hide"? honestly folks, ya think something bad is going on behind closed doors? things have certainly changed in the last 30 years, but my experience has shown me that most people/parents/new parents are more irrational than ever.
children have been attending school for over 2 centuries. you pay a lot of money for that also. does this entitle everyone to sit in their child's classroom to observe and evaluate all that you are talking about here? and when your kid gets drivers education...do you jump in the car with the instructor??
what i think is important is that you educate your kids to all things evil. even when it's painful to explain some of the things that go on in life and that bad people can be out to get them. you have to let the kids find their own space and the privacy that goes with it. it's called self determination and learning the basic tools of self responsibility.
the fact is, most kids in sports do not want their parents around for anything but support. they want their space, their privacy/friends and an endeavor that they can call their own. an endeavor that is not controlled or manipulated or interfered with by a parent. i understand that this is difficult for most parents to wrap their brains around.
finally, the gym is the last place you have to worry about. and are their bad people that coach in gyms? there are, and have been in the past. but are the statistics relative to evil higher in the gyms than in normal life? the answer is no. so let's keep a perspective on all this discussion about observation. keep it logical as it relates to society as a whole and rational when you are told by the club owner or coach that tonight...or the next few days...there is no observation taking place currently do to some of the issues taking place preparing kids for competitions. this is common as a nostril.
and what about all the posts that you all post up in regard to the observation areas and that they are the devil's den. things that are said about your own kids as well as other parents kids by other parents that are either stupid or have no filter? "be careful what you wish for" is what comes to mind at the moment.
