Parents To Parents of Little Gymnasts...

[mommyof1]

Mine is the same age too! I think she could use the reminder herself--she is all worried about a 6-year-old who is making faster progress. Sigh...

 

[billise]

I'm have been so impressed with my DD's attitude. Every time she comes out of practice she says "mommy guess what!?!?" I'm expecting her to say she got her kip or made all of her cartwheels on beam, instead she says "So and so (insert teammates name) made her kip (or some other skill) today! I'm soooo happy for her!!!"

 

[sleeping judy]

Mine works giants by day, collects beanie boos and wears a pull-up by night lol

 

[cbifoja]

wanting people to think she's a teenager who is way to cool to have a mother.

Sorry but the teacher in me has to do it: TOO cool to have a mother.

*cleansing breath* I feel SO much better now.

 

[Flossyduck]

I sometimes look at the girls in the gym and what they go through each session - the conditioning, the sweat, the frustration, the falls and bruises and scrapes, the occasional being told off for not doing something correctly and being made go again.

It occurs to me that if many girls from my dd's peers at school were to go and try a session they would walk out of that gym and go 'what the heck', never want to do anything like that again and think she is crazy.

There's something about their drive and willingness to do what it takes for that skill and that progression which makes them seem so much older than they are.

I watched my dd last night get a bit of a shouting at for messing something up. She turned round flushed of cheeks, set her jaw and went again and did it. All she was interested in when she came out was whether I had seen something else - something she had done really well on. Amazing ability to focus on the positive and be ready to go back and fix the negative without question.

This morning she is lay on the sofa watching Frozen, surrounded by her cuddly toys.

 

[Moxiegrl83]

Love this thread! When the girls walk in the gym in their school clothes, I can't believe how young they look... Then they change into their Leo's and turn into gymnasts. Our "big" girls really aren't very big!!

On those early morning practice days, when DD is snuggled up with her blanky in the backseat, you can't help but be impressed she's going to walk in and do 3.5 hrs of hard work, then ask for a happy meal.

 

[Sasha]

There's something about their drive and willingness to do what it takes for that skill and that progression which makes them seem so much older than they are.

This ^^^ and this whole thread is so true. Since my DD innocently started a rec gym class for fun, just over one year ago at age 6.5 and in 1st grade, I feel like she has aged (matured) from 6 to what feels like about 11(!) now that she has progressed to a full time team gymnast. Even another mom (of a same-age rec friend) remarked that "She looks so old out there!" when watching the team practice. Her whole body has changed, her carriage and grace have changed, her attitude has changed, and she appears so 'mature' in practice - but golly she is still just my My Little Pony-obsessed, Santa-believing, Unicorn-night-light-pillow-clutching baby girl

Now I want to go snatch her from school and just give her squishy hugs all day.

 

[munchkin3]

mine still needs the light on, the door open, and ALL her animals at night.
That's after learning giants.

 

[GYM0M]

mine still needs the light on, the door open, and ALL her animals at night.
That's after learning giants.

Yep! Or how about a BHS BHS on beam, but still sleeps with momma bc her room is just too scary at night! Ha!

This thread really brings me to tears! I'm so glad it was started! Thanks to everyone for sharing!

As far as boosters go, we are 14 inches and 30 pounds away!

 

[lilymom]

Love this! So hard to remember that my baby is just 6 when she is doing the amazing things these girls do. She trains 9 hours a week when I complain about working out even a couple days for half hour (she doesn't get it from me!) She deals with very hard core strict old school coaches and keeps excelling. Then she comes home (making me carry her half the time) and crawls into bed with me. So easy to forget they are just babies...so impressive that they can make us see such maturity in them.

 

[tooootsie]

I totally agree!! They are still lil kids! I have to remind myself of this all the time. I have a 5 and 7 y/o lvl 3 and what I have found works is just not really talking about gymnastics skills much at home and not really watching practices often. They will share with me what they want to share with me.