Quitting?

[gym law mom]

Absolutely insane to have 6yo pulled out of school early to make practice and then have 3 hours of TOPs on Saturday morning. Your dd may well like gymnastics, but the time and structure of this program could certainly kill any enthusiasm.

You need to talk with the coach or program director about letting your dd back off on the training. As you said she used to be having fun at gym, but now it seems like work. Thats a sure sign things need to change.

 

[mariposa]

I think everyone has already given good advice. I would talk to the program and see about cutting back her hours. If that isn't possible, I would let her have a break or look for a less intense program at another gym. She is so young, her talent will still be there in 6 months or a year. And gymnastics (the level they have her training) sounds like it is more work than fun for her right now and that isn't how it should be. Gymnastics should be fun, even when they are working hard at her age.

Good luck. Hard to know what to do in these situations.

 

[lilgymmie7]

I can't say that as a whole the amount of training is to blame. However the getting out early from school, I could never commit to. The message that can send to the child, I wouldn't know how to explain. Many little ones, 5,6,7, are probably dealing with similar situations, but they may not necessarily express a desire to quit.
As a teacher, I have found that children of any age can learn to love and gain motivation to accomplish just about anything. What gets them there is the "how" the child is taught. Some approaches are not a match for every child. Perhaps the coaches are not mixing in enough of the fun into your DD's training. At this age, really all ages, kids need to learn to love this sport because with that "love" comes the motivation and desire to keep going. I can attest to the "love" of the sport gymnastics offers. Regardless of my children's involvement, I would feel a constant pull from the sport. It stays with you long after you hang up your leo.

My 6 yo DD trains 16/wk with no TOPS. Her gym doesn't believe in the program because of the possible burn out scenario. She mentioned quitting once this summer when she heard other teammates say they wanted to. They wanted to quit because they were not going to move up. When we asked DD why SHE wanted to quit, she said she was bored. She said she doesn't want to keep just jumping to the high bar. A mention of this to her coach, and we have never heard it again. It sounds like they took care of it. My DD may have hit on something when she innocently stated that she wanted to quit. She probably was bored, and now because of the coaches techniques- they allow her to uptrain beyond her level when she finishes her "job" list. She feels proud when she is completed and moves on.
Every kid is different. Maybe your little one overheard someone else talk about quitting for their own reasons. Older gymnasts can be mean to younger gymmies, and she feels that pressure. Perhaps she is bored. A talk with her coach could help to pin point the issue. If your DD comes straight out and says she just doesn't like it at all, then she may have already given you the answer you are looking for. Good luck! It is worth looking into further because this like every experience your DD encounters is a building block for the person/adult she will become.

 

[bookworm]

Her gym does do Level 4. But Level 4 is not an option for her as she has been fast tracked to the Pre-Elite program. She could not switch to the Level 4 Team during this school year as they have already started their competition season. In the Pre-Elite program she has practice 3 days a week. She has to get out of school about a 1/2 hour early to get to the gym on time for practice and she does not get home til 7pm on gym days.
Then there's TOPs practice every Saturday each week also which is required in the Pre-Elite program. It is a big commitment for a 6 year old.

She can't even test for another year so I'd lay off on this at least if you're not going to let her quit gymnastics...maybe with just the 3 days she might find it more enjoyable...and could you undo the fast tracking and put her back with the 4s to see if she regains any type of happiness while doing it and might want to continue? Six is a young age to be all or nothing for Pre-elite? And could you talk to other parents who have done this scenario before (that's assuming your daughter is not the gym's first group of "fast trackers to Pre-elite")?


. She was chosen to be an aspiring Elite due to her body type, natural talent, ability to pay attention, listen and make corrections, endurance, competitive nature, personal drive etc... I think now it is to much pressure for her. I can see that gymnastics used to be fun for her and now it is work.

Maybe she doesn't want to be "an aspiring elite"because she used to have fun and now she has a job...it's her "job" at six to be a kid.

 

[MdGymMom01]

But Level 4 is not an option for her as she has been fast tracked to the Pre-Elite program. She could not switch to the Level 4 Team during this school year as they have already started their competition season. In the Pre-Elite program she has practice 3 days a week. She has to get out of school about a 1/2 hour early to get to the gym on time for practice and she does not get home til 7pm on gym days.
Then there's TOPs practice every Saturday each week also which is required in the Pre-Elite program. It is a big commitment for a 6 year old.

And you wonder why she wants to quit???? This program and amount of training hours is obviously too much for her. Plus the fact that she just started first grade. There is a reason why everyone says gymnastics is a marathon not a sprint. I am sorry if I am coming across as blunt and harsh, it's just that it breaks my heart reading about these talented little kids who are pushed to the point where they want to quit because it is no longer fun because they have to train so much.

 

[teamgirl]

I know it's crazy! But it is happening right now in gyms all across this country to produce these elite gymnasts. I mean let's face it., today a gymnast has to be stronger, faster, higher, more flexiable, doing the hardest skills, developed a signature style, seasoned in competeing, inventing their own tricks to be named after them, politically pleased the ones in charge and all this by the time they are 16 years old to be an Olympian. Please understand I am not saying I even remotely think my child is going to the Olympics. What I am saying is the ones who are; are not in school all day, do train tons of hours every week, and are currently starting on this path before they are seven years old and it is their job because it is a career. All this being said, I see both sides., why some parents would allow their children to pursue elite goals and it's even easier to see why other parents would not. Less than a year and a half ago, my daughter just started taking a 1 hour gymnastics class once a week. Remember I really knew nothing about this sport before then. What I have learned amazes me. I only what my daughter to be happy, whether she is a gymnast or not does not matter to me. My original post which started this thread was more of a parenting question., you could replace "gymnastics" with anything else. It still is about how do you teach a child not to just quit when things get hard, which I believe is a valueable lesson.

I do want to thank everyone for their advice, it has helped! I hope they and others will continue to post your thoughts.

 

[gymjourneymom]

I know it's crazy! But it is happening right now in gyms all across this country to produce these elite gymnasts. I mean let's face it., today a gymnast has to be stronger, faster, higher, more flexiable, doing the hardest skills, developed a signature style, seasoned in competeing, inventing their own tricks to be named after them, politically pleased the ones in charge and all this by the time they are 16 years old to be an Olympian. Please understand I am not saying I even remotely think my child is going to the Olympics. What I am saying is the ones who are; are not in school all day, do train tons of hours every week, and are currently starting on this path before they are seven years old and it is their job because it is a career. All this being said, I see both sides., why some parents would allow their children to pursue elite goals and it's even easier to see why other parents would not. Less than a year and a half ago, my daughter just started taking a 1 hour gymnastics class once a week. Remember I really knew nothing about this sport before then. What I have learned amazes me. I only what my daughter to be happy, whether she is a gymnast or not does not matter to me. My original post which started this thread was more of a parenting question., you could replace "gymnastics" with anything else. It still is about how do you teach a child not to just quit when things get hard, which I believe is a vauable lesson.

Teamgirl I think you have learned a lot in a short amount of time. Teaching a child "not to quit when things get hard", is an important lesson. But it can be taught without laying out a lifetime plan for them to follow when they are just 6yrs old. Teaching them not to quit can be taught by 'toughing out' a summer of t-ball or fall season of soccer. But expecting a child to 'tough out' 27hrs of gymnastics practice year round, which will continue for how many years!?! And when she says she wants to quit she is questioned & second guessed??? I think your DD is wise beyond her years!!! I'd listen to her. Being "elite" is not the only way to enjoy the sport of gymnastics! What is with this trend of "elite path or nothing"??? Parents are setting up young children to fail by putting waaay too much pressure on them. Not only that, but they are stealing away their child's love of gymnastics & making it a job! Let your DD enjoy her childhood. Believe it or not...she can have the best of both worlds. She can be happy & ENJOY gymnastics doing just a few(very few) hours a week. More is not always better. She tried the "elite path", she has already 'toughed it out' more then enough IMHO. It's time to let her do what makes her happy. Let her have her childhood back. I'm sad just reading what she's been 'toughing out' for this long already. Look at all the time you've already missed spending with her this past year. You can't get that back. And she probably misses spending Mommy & me time with you. She will grew up faster then you realize. Don't let gym coaches get to enjoy her childhood more than you or her. JMHO. Good luck!

 

[Linsul]

I know it's crazy! But it is happening right now in gyms all across this country to produce these elite gymnasts. I mean let's face it., today a gymnast has to be stronger, faster, higher, more flexiable, doing the hardest skills, developed a signature style, seasoned in competeing, inventing their own tricks to be named after them, politically pleased the ones in charge and all this by the time they are 16 years old to be an Olympian. Please understand I am not saying I even remotely think my child is going to the Olympics. What I am saying is the ones who are; are not in school all day, do train tons of hours every week, and are currently starting on this path before they are seven years old and it is their job because it is a career. All this being said, I see both sides., why some parents would allow their children to pursue elite goals and it's even easier to see why other parents would not. Less than a year and a half ago, my daughter just started taking a 1 hour gymnastics class once a week. Remember I really knew nothing about this sport before then. What I have learned amazes me. I only what my daughter to be happy, whether she is a gymnast or not does not matter to me. My original post which started this thread was more of a parenting question., you could replace "gymnastics" with anything else. It still is about how do you teach a child not to just quit when things get hard, which I believe is a valuable lesson.

I do want to thank everyone for their advice, it has helped! I hope they and others will continue to post your thoughts.

It sounds like your heart is totally in the right place. Keep in mind, there are sooooooooo many opportunities to teach the hard road lesson. It is a valuable lesson, but to learn at the cost of something they once loved would seem not worth it and totally unnecessary. Especially a young child, it's such a harsh reality! They will have obstacles with learning and with people as they grow and venture into the world that are still very teachable moments. Ones that come without activity loss, or any loss at all to something that brings them honest joy.

The training programs for the qualities you speak of do exist, but some gyms do it better than others!! My gym has a very stratified process to develop the qualities you posted about. We recruit them young out of rec, they have to be strong, articulate, and at least of average flexibility. We explain to them and parents that it's not a guarantee of a team spot. Not to scare them, but to keep the expectation realistic. They spend a specific amount of time in pre competitive developmental training, with hours and expectations added very gradually. If at any point we realize that necessary criticism hurts their feelings, or they don't want to come to practice, or just aren't enjoying it, we can catch it early and keep them in the sport in a way that makes them happy. Also, if they are unable to achieve the strength, skill, and flexibility requirements to move on, placing them in a challenging and appropriate rec class isn't a huge insult or surprise. It's a very unique child that can take on the added training and all that comes with it and still be happy and thriving in the sport while in the beginning school years.

Red flags to me regarding a program are: Any pre team workouts over 4 hours per week to start, or more than 2 days a week to start. Also any program that guarantees a team spot without first assessing a childs acclimation to the change in expectations and hours. If those were my only options as a parent, I'd shop around for a better program.

 

[gymdog]

Training for an elite career takes a lot of sacrifices, but the girls have to 100% want it, not having it used as a way to not teach quitting when things are tough. That's when you get bad results because you completely remove any control they have over their life and this is too emotionally difficult to do that. And that is a sobering reality because the problems you can be looking down the road of that path are serious, serious behavioral and mental health issues. I'm always amazed when people are shocked by information like eating disorders manifesting around 7. I knew girls who were using eating as a form of control pretty much that young. And it only gets worse as time goes on. I would take a step back and evaluate how far you're really willing to push this, because the end doesn't justify the means. Calling it a career, missing school, she is asking to quit at age 6, these aren't good signs. Whatever is at the end of this isn't going to erase it all.

I have no problem with pursuing elite, but I would disagree with some assertions. I don't think in the US that at age 6 it is necessary to miss school or do anything else, provided they are getting a decent foundation in gymnastics skills (which can be achieved without many hours). Also, they don't necessarily have to do anything by 16, and unless their birthday lines up perfectly they may very well be looking at 18 or 19 at the earliest anyway. But that would be getting way ahead of ourselves at this point. This is a child (a small child) that hasn't even competed yet. It would be important insofar as learning good basics and technique in order to progress, but plenty of talented girls can hit the TOPs age/skill milestones without training huge hours from the age of 5-6 on. There is always time to step up the intensity in the later elementary years after they have some competitive experience and are doing basic optional skills.

Even if she can't change groups I would strongly advise that you try to reduce the hours or days. And also tell the coaches, so that they can try to modify things for her or maybe try a different approach.

Edit: also, I don't mean any of this as a slam. It's a very difficult balance to navigate. But I think there is a middle road here between forcing a kid to maintain a high intensity commitment and letting them quit at the first sign of something hard. I can tell you value your daughter's well being greatly or you wouldn't bother asking or trying to learn anything. But I think that making a kid continue in high intensity training when they are expressing serious doubts is not necessarily something I could advise...that it is just something that strikes me very viscerally for whatever reason.

 

[teamgirl]

Teamgirl I think you have learned a lot in a short amount of time. Teaching a child "not to quit when things get hard", is an important lesson. But it can be taught without laying out a lifetime plan for them to follow when they are just 6yrs old. Teaching them not to quit can be taught by 'toughing out' a summer of t-ball or fall season of soccer. But expecting a child to 'tough out' 27hrs of gymnastics practice year round, which will continue for how many years!?! And when she says she wants to quit she is questioned & second guessed??? I think your DD is wise beyond her years!!! I'd listen to her. Being "elite" is not the only way to enjoy the sport of gymnastics! What is with this trend of "elite path or nothing"??? Parents are setting up young children to fail by putting waaay too much pressure on them. Not only that, but they are stealing away their child's love of gymnastics & making it a job! Let your DD enjoy her childhood. Believe it or not...she can have the best of both worlds. She can be happy & ENJOY gymnastics doing just a few(very few) hours a week. More is not always better. She tried the "elite path", she has already 'toughed it out' more then enough IMHO. It's time to let her do what makes her happy. Let her have her childhood back. I'm sad just reading what she's been 'toughing out' for this long already. Look at all the time you've already missed spending with her this past year. You can't get that back. And she probably misses spending Mommy & me time with you. She will grew up faster then you realize. Don't let gym coaches get to enjoy her childhood more than you or her. JMHO. Good luck!

gymjourneymom, I want to straighten out your misconceptions with some facts on our situation before others get the wrong idea.

My DD does not train "27 hrs", the most she does is 12 hours a week. We live in a rural area and the drive to the gym takes 45 minutes., so even counting our drive time it totals 18. (There are 8 year olds at our gym that do train 24 to 28 hours a week though and that's not counting drive time.)

Then your comment on "she has already 'toughed it out' more then enough" makes no sense either because it was only like three days ago my DD told me she wants to quit.

As for your comment on "all the time you've already missed spending with her this past year", my DD has only been in this Pre-Elite program for three months.

 

[gymdog]

gymjourneymom, I want to straighten out your misconceptions with some facts on our situation before others get the wrong idea.

My DD does not train "27 hrs", the most she does is 12 hours a week. We live in a rural area and the drive to the gym takes 45 minutes., so even counting our drive time it totals 18. (There are 8 year olds at our gym that do train 24 to 28 hours a week though and that's not counting drive time.)

Then your comment on "she has already 'toughed it out' more then enough" makes no sense either because it was only like three days ago my DD told me she wants to quit.

As for your comment on "all the time you've already missed spending with her this past year", my DD has only been in this Pre-Elite program for three months.

Counting the commute though, there is not a lot of downtime for a little kid. If she gets home at 7, then she must have to eat dinner and go to bed in 2 hours or less, right? What time does she have to be up in the morning? She may need a little more sleep too...I'd consider that. But with the full time school this means virtually every hour of her day on gymnastics days is scheduled or in the car. So she may adjust to that in a couple weeks or it may be too much. I think if you cut the hours or just take some days off, she may find she misses it and asks to go back to full time (once the school thing is a little easier - right now they are learning and absorbing a lot of just how school works, etc).

 

[NewtoGym]

I may be new too, but I have no idea why a 6-year-old would have to sign up for "pre-elite" path at this age. Why not just move level to level and compete at the correct level to gain experience, enhance comraderie with teammates, etc. My 6-year-old is a level 3 and practices 6 hours a week and LOVES it. Her coaches are positive and never talk about the future. Just learning the current skills for her level and some uptraining. It seems ridiculous to think a year ahead, let alone 10 years down the line. I understand how exciting to think that your little one is "special" and selected for something that most are not, but if it is not fun for you or especially your child, why not just have fun and learn all the great things gymnastics can teach without the stress? It is not quitting or giving up to cut back and start enjoying gymnastics again until she is ready for more pressure.

Also, as a side note, I have watched the Visa competition recently and noticed that most of the girls are 17 or so years of age. Why push so hard, so young when the trend is older gymnasts at high levels (as opposed to 10 years ago when 15 or 16 year-olds were the norm at these levels).

This is my two cents. I am sure you know your child and situation way better than I do, but since you asked for advice, I am throwing mine out there.

Good luck.

 

[Megley]

If you think that it's just that she is having trouble adjusting and you want her to continue trying, maybe give it another month. Tell her you've paid for October and you will revisit the issue at the end of the month. Then see how it goes and whether she continues to say she wants to quit. If she continues to complain and express a desire to quit, then I think you have to take some action to either cut back the hours or switch to a different track. If she never mentions it again and seems to adjust, then continue forth.

I do think that getting out of school early to go to gym is a bit much though I suppose this is because of your drive. That problem is only going to get worse, though, as her hours increase unless you plan to home school. I also agree that no child needs to be in an "elite" program at age 6. I think it came up on another thread here and I've heard it elsewhere - if your child gets to be age 10 or 11 and Level 9 and wants elite, that is the time to start seriously thinking about getting into a gym that has elite experience and the desire to coach an elite gymnast.

 

[ek2]

gymjourneymom, I want to straighten out your misconceptions with some facts on our situation before others get the wrong idea.

My DD does not train "27 hrs", the most she does is 12 hours a week. We live in a rural area and the drive to the gym takes 45 minutes., so even counting our drive time it totals 18. (There are 8 year olds at our gym that do train 24 to 28 hours a week though and that's not counting drive time.)

Then your comment on "she has already 'toughed it out' more then enough" makes no sense either because it was only like three days ago my DD told me she wants to quit.

As for your comment on "all the time you've already missed spending with her this past year", my DD has only been in this Pre-Elite program for three months.

Wow! That is a lot of time for a six year old to spend on the road and in the gym for gymnastics. I think the other red flag is that you have to pull her out of school... it really sends a message that gymnastics is more important than academics. Missing school every now and then for a meet or some other reason is one thing, but every practice day?
The other thing you need to consider, if your daughter stays in this program, in another year she will be working out 24-28 hours a week. So her whole life will be gymnastics, now if that is what she really, really wants and it works for your family so be it. But you cannot get those years back.
Lastly, yes there are many elites that do go to "regular" school and practice and do just fine. Some programs would probably say that kids who last long in the sport do not have to make school/social sacrifices until they are 10-11 perhaps older, AND those kids are in a position to know what they want. However, kid will get to the point of actual "elite" if they do not LOVE what they are doing. My advice is to let her roll slower so she can enjoy these early years, and, hopefully not get burned out.

 

[Tuduri]

I am the first one to recommend the benefits of TOPs training. However, parents have to use their common sense and tell coaches when to back off. Your daughter needs balance in her life. You will regret it later in life if your daughter is not socially well adjusted and does not excell academically.

Your daughter has to love gymnastics if she is to continue. Focus on that first before being impressed with the notion of your daughter being picked to do pre-elite. She will not make it to level six if she does not love gymnastics. You must first light a fire of interest and love of the sport so that she will want to continue. Add small bits of kindling instead of dousing it with lighter fluid. Have her watch older girls practice. Take her to some competions. Let her have fun.

If your daughter has not a built up resevoir of good feeling for gymnastics by the time she is 13 or 14(when she begins to do some really impressive stuff)she won't be able to ward off all the other distractions that come at this age in life, that is if she still is in gymnastics at this age. So in the mean time, help her enjoy the sport. Do some of the various things other posters have suggested.

I may be a bit cynical, but it would seem that parental common sense, IMHO, would require that a coach who requires a six year old girl to miss part of class to go to gym should be second guessed.
Labeling a gym class "pre-eite", especially for six year olds, is a marketing strategy as much as a coach's judgement. Their judgement maybe accurate, but you must look at it cynically. All things in moderation. Just light the fire for love of the sport first.

Your daughter can have the best of both worlds. Help her love the sport first. Start looking for kindling.

 

[gymjourneymom]

gymjourneymom, I want to straighten out your misconceptions with some facts on our situation before others get the wrong idea.

My DD does not train "27 hrs", the most she does is 12 hours a week. We live in a rural area and the drive to the gym takes 45 minutes., so even counting our drive time it totals 18. (There are 8 year olds at our gym that do train 24 to 28 hours a week though and that's not counting drive time.)

Then your comment on "she has already 'toughed it out' more then enough" makes no sense either because it was only like three days ago my DD told me she wants to quit.

As for your comment on "all the time you've already missed spending with her this past year", my DD has only been in this Pre-Elite program for three months.

Sorry teamgirl. I did not mean to offend you. After reading my post I had planned to edit it, but CB went down & I could not change what I put out there already. Guess in the future I should just go to bed instead of surfing the web in the wee small hours!!!

But reading it now in a more well rested state, I still stand by the gist of what I was trying to say. Not trying to attack you personally, so please don't take offense. I just don't get this whole "pre-elite" path for such young girls. I really would like to see some statistics of how many actually continue on the path & make it to elite.

So I give you a lot of credit for questioning the pre-elite program at your current gym. I think 24-28hrs of training is too much for an 8yr old & that is what your DD would be facing in 2yrs(as you stated above).

You state your DD just started 1st grade & had been home with you for the years prior that. So 1st grade it's self is a major change in her life. And she started this pre-elite training 3 months ago(during the summer I assume. When she wasn't under any other stress or pressure aside from gym). So now for the past month she has been trying to pull all of this together. And do it all well & be happy about it all. Man, that sounds more like the balancing act I have to pull off as an adult.

This all seems like a lot of change & stress for a 6yr old. As others have posted & I agree, most gymnast who mention quitting, have already been thinking about before they ever mention it to anyone. Yes, she is "toughing out" a lot of stress right now between school & gym. So maybe she's been thinking about quitting for more then 3 days, who knows? Only her. And what she's been experiencing the past month probably feels like "forever" to her. And it will be forever if something doesn't change. Gymnastics training is never ending!!!

When I hear of all of these hours young kids are practicing inside a gym day in & day out it does make me sad. To me childhood should be a time of curiousity & exploration of the world around them. She will never be 6yrs old again, enjoy every minute with her you can. She will have to juggle school & gym later. Why does it have to start so young?

Thank you for clearing up my miss statement about the amount of hours your DD has been training. Don't know where I came up with 27? But I have to say even your corrected amount of 12hrs stills sounds like too much for a 6yr old to me. JMHO.

Doing a lot of hours at such a young age steals away their joy of the sport, it turns it into a job for them. My DD has had her share of up's & down's in this sport, but she has NEVER once said she wanted to quit. I truly believe it is because our gym's owner specifically doesn't train them a lot of hours, to help lessen the effects of burn out & physical wear & tear on the body. Of couse we do still lose a lot of girls. Gymnastics is a demanding sport even without being on an elite path. My DD is 15yrs old, she been in the sport 10yrs & she still LOVES it. Now THAT is something I'm VERY proud of!

I think being good at something that you ENJOY is a fine option. If you are good at something & you ENJOY it, chance are you will stick with it for the long haul. And you will WANT to continue to polish & perfect it. Why doesn't that seem good enough anymore? Why do we push young kids to be "the best" younger & younger. And I'm not talking about you specifically with that statement teamgirl, I'm just pondering out loud. More of social question about the pressure we put on kids now a days. I know we all love our kids or we wouldn't be posting to web sites about them. So I'm not trying to pick on anyone. I just really worry about some of these little ones. I worry about how all this pressure starting at such young ages will effect them later in life? Our world is so pressure stress filled already and we are passing this pressure on to our littlest ones! I find that extremely disheartening.

Well, I'd better shut up now...I'm sure I've dug myself an even deeper hole. Teamgirl- I wish you wisdom & a lot of luck as you navigate the right path for your DD! And I wish for her to find JOY in the sport whatever path she takes.

 

[Panda-girl's Mom]

I understand what you are saying about sticking with it when things get hard. I think the answer is you have to have a kid who loves the sport then they willing to stick with it. I think is more important a your daughters age to have fun in the gym so she can develop that love. Whether that means switching programs or just talking to the coaches about your daughters complaints so maybe they can help her adjust it is up to you.

 

[bookworm]

She's 6, she doesn't like it anymore, I'd pull her.

 

[liseybeast]

There are a lot of people who seem concerned about leaving school early to go to gym... I just want say when I was in elementary school I left school early a couple days a week to get to ballet on time. At the end of the day in the early grades you never are doing much except playing games and packing up at the end of the day which is why my school and teacher were fine with it. It didn't affect my schooling and I was even in an advanced math and art enrichment class in elementary school. Now when you're older yes, it could be a problem, but my middles school and high school got out way earlier than the elementary school so ballet and school were never at the same time after 5th grade. I know every child is different, but it can work out just fine.