Parents Too young or not?

[amphomma]

This is quite a cross-section of responses, and I'm glad to read it! Our family is very new to gymnastics. Here's what's happened for us: in city #1, Little A and I did a mommy and me class. She did not want me out of her sight, even after she turned 3. She is very clingy and shy in new situations. In city #2, as of this summer, I told her if she wanted to do gymnastics again, she would have to attend a class where I just watched. Her interest in the sport picked up dramatically over the summer, and I noticed her starting to ask to watch gymnastics videos and ballet videos, and she was always emulating what she saw--and it turns out she has good amounts of grace, strength, and flexibility!

After a month and a half in a 3-4 year old preschool rec class, she was evaluated and invited to join a pre-pre or pre-team class (not exactly sure of the progression yet!). She joined at the age of 3 years, 11 months, and was the youngest and smallest.

Gymnastics is the *only* place where she truly comes out of her shell. No shyness, nearly no fear. She kisses me goodbye and can't wait for class to start. She has goals: back handspring when it is safe to start trying, and a handstand press, to name a few. Her personality suits her here: perfectionistic, self-motivated, determined, somewhat fearless; her talents complement these. She is completely undaunted and unbothered by being the youngest and smallest in the class. She knows there is a difference between her old preschool class and this new one. I asked her if she'd rather have a class that is "light, fun, and not terribly difficult", or "more challenging and serious"...she chose the latter.

I want this to be fun. She turned 4 last week, after all! But it truly seems to be her niche for now at least, and I love the things that she is learning--gymnastics and everything else besides. She is talking with girls her age (she doesn't attend any school yet), she is growing in confidence, and learning how steady, hard work pays off. I am so glad we got her into the gym when we did. Next step: preschool!! She has a brother who is 8, I might add, and Little A often insists she is also 8...39 inches tall, 28 pounds...with the determination of a bull!

 

[Guenhwyvar132]

To me, this is one of the biggest issues facing clubs and teams. Parents and kids love the idea team, but they don't really understand what it means to be a competitive gymnast. Our club has started using preteam as sort of a weeding out level. Find the few kids who really want to compete and the few parents who can offer the level of committment needed to train safe and competent gymnasts. My DD started young - rec at 3, preteam at 4 - but she didn't start competing level 4 until she was 8. She was not the fastest to learn the skills, but she had the dedication and determination. And as a family, we were committed to supporting her and the program.

That's what our pre team feels like from watching. Still fun, but definitely shows you which kids have the focus to head towards the competitive route.

 

[mommy08and10]

Lol! We have 3 daughters. Got to love having all those girls! I can definitely see what you mean about the younger siblings seeming to pick it up. My youngest at 3 is doing more gymnastics skill-wise than her sister was at the same age. I think she's trying to "catch up" to her. I see nothing wrong with pre team or advanced developmental for a 3-ish or 4 yr old child where they are learning the skills and form. I see nothing wrong with team for a 4 yr old or 5 yr old who is ready, but there is a ton of development that goes in between just turned 3 and 4 yrs old. In another thread, the poster was talking about her just turned 3 yr old moving within the span of a couple of weeks onto competition team, and I would have second thoughts about that at that age.

That was probably me you are speaking of... DD is 3years 3months and was bored in preschool class and bored in advanced rec. The original plan was to wait until Fall 2014 to try team. But the coaches felt like her time and energy would be better spent on pre-team. She also gets more one on one time now. She is a younger sibling and is light years beyond where her brother was at this age. Everyone says she seems older than she is. The coaches adapt to the training her. I think it all depends on how your kids' gym is run. Everyone on here seems to have a different preception of "Team." Ours very much lets kids be kids. The coaches are big kids too! I feel like all the people who are being critical of my decision maybe come from more srict gyms. The funny thing is that I originally posted on here for advice since I was relatively new to the gymnastics world. I haven't received much advice but I have received more than enough criticism.

 

[mouey77]

That was probably me you are speaking of... DD is 3years 3months and was bored in preschool class and bored in advanced rec. The original plan was to wait until Fall 2014 to try team. But the coaches felt like her time and energy would be better spent on pre-team. She also gets more one on one time now. She is a younger sibling and is light years beyond where her brother was at this age. Everyone says she seems older than she is. The coaches adapt to the training her. I think it all depends on how your kids' gym is run. Everyone on here seems to have a different preception of "Team." Ours very much lets kids be kids. The coaches are big kids too! I feel like all the people who are being critical of my decision maybe come from more srict gyms. The funny thing is that I originally posted on here for advice since I was relatively new to the gymnastics world. I haven't received much advice but I have received more than enough criticism.

I think it's just hard to advise without understanding your gym. Most of the teams I hear of on CB sound serious to me, so I can't imagine a young 3 yr old on a competitive team. Our team is so critical of form/details/focus (having the skills isn't nearly enough apparently) that not only would our gym never consider a 3 yr old for even level 1 team, but I wouldn't want to subject a 3 yr old to all of that. But I have heard of AAU teams competing levels 1 or 2 with very young kids, and it must be a very different experience for the little kids.

 

[juststartingout]

I think it depends on what your gym considers preteam/team. We have preteam groups at our gym that are 3yo to 5yo they are about 3 hours a wk. Then the next level is novice team which does just non sanctioned home meets and they are from 5 to 9 usually. Then there is team and the youngest girl is 6yo. My daughter is 7 and on team and while they work hard even at team level it is still fun. I would have no issue with my 3yo doing team if she had the maturity, not all 3yo are created equal. I tried my youngest at 3 in a preschool class and the maturity was not there. I just started her again at 5 and I feel confident she will catch up in no time.

 

[Iwannabemargo]

I can 't imagine any of mine having the energy to do a serious gymnastics class at 4 after being in school all day!

I remember Big boy falling asleap in the car on the way home from school most days. Mind you because of his birthday he was 4 and 2 weeks when he started school. Over here you start proper school the year of your 5th birthday

 

[dani4]

Today my 2 1/2 year old's coach told me that she recommends her to join the 3 year old development group in December (she doesn't turn 3 until February). It only meets for 45 minutes per week, so again, I don't really think it is "serious" - and it is several steps below team. But like my older daughter's class, there's an emphasis on correct form and developing strength & conditioning. The cool thing is that it meets with older DD's pre-team class (they do some stuff together and then break apart after warm-up), and older DD says she will stay in pre-team if her sister is there- she wants to be with sis. She had a good class today- she was very excited about it. I think a couple of things came together for her that have been eluding her.

I don't know if I'll actually be able to register younger DD for this 3 yo class.. the coach acknowledged that the registrars are sometimes sticklers and she might have to stay in the 2.5 year old class on the rec side. We'll see.. this coach kind of walks on water at this gym, so her recommendation might mean something. If not, the next session starts in March and DD will be 3 by then. No rush. I actually expressed some surprise to the coach, and made sure that she understood how old DD is. She said that the issue is that she is strong & coordinated, but she's also focused and able to take form corrections already. She is mature for her age and advanced in multiple areas. In fact they just moved her up to the 3-5 year old group in her preschool (she was in a 2's class until 2 weeks ago).

I'm not worried that she's moving too fast in gymnastics because these "pre-team" classes aren't that serious- she can't go for more than an hour per week until she's 5. I'm actually more worried about academics... she's moving too fast.

 

[amphomma]

"I'm not worried that she's moving too fast in gymnastics because these "pre-team" classes aren't that serious- she can't go for more than an hour per week until she's 5. I'm actually more worried about academics... she's moving too fast."

Dani4, I just read this and understand your challenge to some degree! Our son "L" (non-gymnast), has always been far ahead of the curve academically and skipped kindergarten after a few weeks of utter boredom. He has thrived as the youngest in his grade. He's in 4th grade now, and his teacher asked me at our conference recently, "Is L bored?" He isn't really challenged yet, but I tried to focus on the positives of where he is able to set the bar higher for himself, like oral reports and creative writing. Have you ever checked out the Bright Kids forum through Mensa? I know this is way off topic from the original post, but I thought I'd offer a resource that has been helpful to me. Bright Kids is kind of like academic Chalkbucket--great place to ask q's, brag a little or a lot, and bounce ideas off of parents in similar situations.


Our Little A (just turned 4 and very passionate about and showing some talent for gymnastics) is also bright, though I can tell she is much more physically gifted than her brother. He's very brainy, she's very athletic...love these kids!

 

[dani4]

Dani4, I just read this and understand your challenge to some degree! Our son "L" (non-gymnast), has always been far ahead of the curve academically and skipped kindergarten after a few weeks of utter boredom. He has thrived as the youngest in his grade. He's in 4th grade now, and his teacher asked me at our conference recently, "Is L bored?" He isn't really challenged yet, but I tried to focus on the positives of where he is able to set the bar higher for himself, like oral reports and creative writing. Have you ever checked out the Bright Kids forum through Mensa? I know this is way off topic from the original post, but I thought I'd offer a resource that has been helpful to me. Bright Kids is kind of like academic Chalkbucket--great place to ask q's, brag a little or a lot, and bounce ideas off of parents in similar situations.


Our Little A (just turned 4 and very passionate about and showing some talent for gymnastics) is also bright, though I can tell she is much more physically gifted than her brother. He's very brainy, she's very athletic...love these kids!

Thanks - I will look into that resource, I hadn't heard of it. Maybe I will get some good ideas there for what the future might hold and how to deal with different issues we're already facing. Smart kids are EXHAUSTING, and this kid is also very intense and a little aggressive, I'm afraid..

I'm wary of grade-skipping, since my husband did it and had a bad experience. Though I know that it works for some people. I also think it never happens in our school district. It's possible that when DD gets to high school she can start college early, that is pretty common here. And there is a self-contained public school for gifted kids, starting in 1st grade. I have a few misgivings about it though.. we'll just have to see how things go, she's not even 3 so I shouldn't really worry about it. It's just that she's already freaking me out- she's closer to reading than her older sister! And it's not just the skills, it's the depth of her insights and questions- she's deeper than most adults I know.

I'm a little worried about how younger DD seems to be very good at everything she does. Academic, very athletic, also can sing very well and good rhythm. She can hold a tune and her voice is loud- she may have natural pitch. It might cause social problems down the road... I think I'm a bit uneasy because she's a lot like her father, who is good at everything and knows a lot about everything, but this has not been a source of happiness for him. However DH's parents were very tough on him.. they weren't really cut out to be parents. So maybe things will be better for DD.

 

[Ex member]

Ttuanks - I will look into that resource, I hadn't heard of it. Maybe I will get some good ideas there for what the future might hold and how to deal with different issues we're already facing. Smart kids are EXHAUSTING, and this kid is also very intense and a little aggressive, I'm afraid..

I'm a little worried about how younger DD seems to be very good at everything she does. Academic, very athletic, also can sing very well and good rhythm.

This sounds like my youngest dd who has just turned 7. She seems to be good at everything she tries and she can also be very intense and aggressive, at school she is already a year ahead of where she should be for reading and writing and was invited on the gifted and talented register at school for this in her first proper school year (after reception), she is good at gymnastics and dancining. I wonder if those who are gifted academically are gifted in sports/dance etc.

 

[dani4]

. I wonder if those who are gifted academically are gifted in sports/dance etc.

I think there's a connection... they seem to reinforce each other if both gifts are present, don't they?