Parents Tears after injury

[Akl597]

My DD just turned 8 and is currently on Level 4. Things were going great until she fell off the high bar in August and broke her arm. She healed quickly, but now has anxiety before every practice. She cries and says she's nervous, but once she's in the gym she's happy and has a great time. Then last week she bruised her toe working on split leaps. She's frustrated about getting injured again, and the crying is taking a toll on all of us (my mom takes her to practice some days). I also think she is struggling with going from the top of the team last year to the bottom this year due to her injury. Any advice to help her get through this? She says she still wants to compete but I hate seeing her cry so much. At this point I am thinking it might be best to take a break, even though we are in the middle of the competition season.

 

[sce]

I think taking a break is the wrong move. One of the big things we all need to learn in life is how to get through difficulties. She is facing a challenge, but is not giving up. Is it hard to watch her go through it? Of course! But be proud of her perseverance.

 

[SurpriseGymMom]

Agree wholeheartedly with sce. Learning to work through things is a HUGE part of gymnastics, and perhaps the biggest benefit of it (life skills). Yes, things are tough right this seond but in the big scheme it is nothing, and her learning to work through it and dealing with going from top to bottom is really great for her to do now, rather than later. It WILL happen sooner or later, to all of them..! Be there for her, be supportive, let her know it is ok to get frustrated and vent with you rather than at gym, and she will be ok. It can be really difficult to get past the fear of re injury, but it (honestly) is better that she deals with it at this age than when she is much more cognitively aware in a few years..! I am sorry she got hurt, and hope she is physically recouperated. The mental part might take a little while, try not to push but gently stay firm and supportive. Talk to her coaches if possible and let them know you trust their process in helping her get past this as it likely won't be neither the first nor last time they have dealt with this!

 

[wallinbl]

Injuries are going to keep coming - toes, fingers, etc. Work through them and work around them. Learning persistence and determination are good life skills.

 

[flipping_girls]

I am so sorry she is having a hard time, injuries stink. We have had an injury riddled year with our oldest. (On her third broken bone of the year, 5th of career) So I can completely relate to how much of a mental game recovering from injuries can be, and the anxiety and frustration your daughter is feeling.

But another side to consider, is the great life lessons for these girls to learn; to work through, sometimes around, a challenge like an injury or fear. The power these girls gain when they see that they can rise up to the challenge, and conquer the set back injuries throw at them. Injuries are never easy, but they are huge in character building in a sport like gymnastics.

Hang in there mama! Good luck!

 

[2gymmies]

Help her to understand the recovery process... our coaches always tell us the rule of thumb on recovery is for every day that you are out It takes two days to get back to where you were. So if she missed 8 weeks from her arm it would take her 16 weeks to get back to where she was and then she can start improving (and half that battle is mental). And during those 24 weeks, your teammates were improving the whole time...don’t expect to be “with them”! Also, focus on having a good attitude and improving something every day. Don’t expect to improve everything quickly.

 

[Mommyo2az]

So sorry to hear about your DDs injuries! I agree with all the posters above, gymnastics provides many a great lesson in perseverance. Your dd will learn how to work around and through obstacles in her life, and you as a parent will learn how amazing your DD is at!
My DD has somehow managed to be "injured" right before meet season every single year (ankle sprain, severs flare up, stress reaction in foot, hip pain, etc) - she has learned so much about not worrying about scores and placement, and being super proud of how far she has come and how much she has accomplished despite not being 100%

 

[Akl597]

Thanks for the encouragement everyone - we will try to keep going. I know in my head that's the right thing to do, but when the tears start coming, it's hard to convince my heart of that. For now, we are going to avoid any conversation about gymnastics outside of the gym - that way we can try to reduce the anxiety about going to practice. We'll stick it out a little longer and see how it goes!