Parents What has being a gym parent taught you?

[gymjourneymom]

I have learned that it is my daughter's sport, not mine (I think I first heard that here). There will always be another meet, another skill to learn, or another child who is "better" then my daughter....but there will be only one "today" so don't dwell on those things and LET THEM BE KIDS.

k-dog, You took the words right out of my mouth, I totally agree with you!

 

[mayestra12]

Hmmm....

I have learned that leo addiction is a real disease. Seriously, it's not the number of leotards your dd has that tells if you have a problem. You'll know it's bad when your dd isn't excited upon receiving a new leo. That about cured it for me.

I have learned that dd does not need every piece of gymnastics clothing at the Justice store. Now if I could only stop buying.....

I have learned that gymnastics may not need my dd but that she very well needs gymnastics in her life. I'll continue to support her as long as she wants to do it.

I have learned that gymnastics is a slow-moving sport. I now get why new skills can't be done in a few weeks or even a few months.

I have learned that not watching practice (even though dd says she wants me to) is best for her and for my sanity.

I have learned to put faith in dd's coaches to get her where she needs to be.

 

[SamIam]

Oh and cheerleading is odd.

You made me laugh with that...thanks.

Have learned what a determined, focused, competitive, little girl I have, and alot of what you guys have posted already.

 

[SkiBumGymMom]

Wow what have I learned... quite a bit... This is just an add on to everyone else's great lists!

-When your preschooler loves gymnastics and you let her sign up for pre-team/L4... it will NOT be just a short term rec activity

-learn quickly the best way to get cheap leos, especially when your DD is a mini-fashionista and likes to wear different ones as much as possible (and also be good at telling her she'll live if she wears the same one multiple times)

-also when DD loves one leo a lot when she's 5, get good at washing it after she goes to sleep, especially when she tries to also wear it to school

-how your gym hair will never be good enough and your daughter will always want more glitter, more rubber bands, more hair spray... and you will be grateful when she's able to do it on her own at age 11! (a bigger achievement/brag than optionals at age 8)

-I could have my own show on Food Network about how to pack lunches and dinners and snacks to sit in a backpack and be eaten in the car, that are cheap and nutritious

-how far my car can go on gas fumes since there's not a single gas station or house for a 25 mile stretch between our gym and the way home

-how to make my little old Subaru zoom past giant SUVs and semis on the interstate in the middle of a blizzard to get to gym practice that starts in 5 minutes

-where every coffee shop, grocery store and necessity is in the town where our gym is, because of having to find things to do during practice besides sitting there with the crazy moms

-how to beg and plead to get another family who lives 20 miles north of you but attends the same school to carpool with you for gym

-how to control an entire gym team all night when your daughter offers up your house for the team sleepover without letting you know first

-how to get work done at a gym meet while at the new L 4 parents are watching every girl and screaming (it involves having a sixth sense to know when your daughter is up to watch her)

-putting your younger daughter into a toddler class as a way to "kill two birds with one stone" while older daughter is at the gym won't work... instead she'll want to do dance making your life even more difficult

-not to bat an eye at serious rips on your 4th grader, making other parents think you're abusive. Even as a teacher in district I had to reflect a lot of office visits and phone calls from worried nurses and teachers.

-when to pull your daughter out when she has a serious injury (fracture/break, back problems) so she can heal... it's a balancing act to know minor injuries from major ones!

-how to ignore the crazy gym moms... including my own sister-in-law (her daughter dropped out after a bad L 8 season to be a cheerleader)

-how to pinch pennies on clothes, groceries, gas bills and everything else to save up money for regionals, nationals and all those important travel meets

-do not have a panic attack when you get your first team bill that includes gym fees and new leos. It only gets worse. If you need counseling about this, don't feel crazy, it's a normal response.

-let your coach deal with all gymnastics related issues... until your DD lands on her head on a beam dismount. Then you are allowed to get out of the stands (but still let the professionals go on the floor... crazy mom on the floor does not help anyway.)

-how to put my foot down for my daughter's best interests, even though she thinks I'm crushing her dreams. I'm her mother not her best friend, and I love her to death but her will and wim don't decide everything she or our family does.

-not knowing every details of your daughter's routine is NOT a bad thing. After all it is HER routines, not YOURS. They're also way more fun to watch in competition this way.

-don't talk to your co-workers, friends, relatives or strangers about gym. They will think you're crazy. They think all gymnasts are in gym for 40 hours a week, not in school, starved and forced to aim for the Olympics. They will never understand all the good things about gym. After all it takes us gym moms years to learn these things too.

-the world does NOT end when your daughter decides she wants to be a popular high school cheerleader despite how hard it seems to grin and bear it. If you think crazy gym moms are bad... crazy cheer moms are a whole new level of batty.

-being a gym grandma is WAY better than being a gym mom!!!!!!

 

[momofagymmie]

I have learned a lot of similar things:

Can keep a hot meal hot all the way to pick up
Learned my dd can't go anywhere for the hour i drive her to the gym and back which makes for excellent useful time to root out what's really upsetting her and getting her to finally talk it out
You can get off the training treadmill and stop to let your dd heal.
I never knew there were so many hair products! Now I do!
A good bed is worth driving a little out of the way for at an away meet.
Chalk does eventually get out of your clothes
Crazy moms lurk everywhere beware
My dd will not quit the sport this year or next year or the next no matter how many times she's asked if she still thinks it's all worth it
I will never be able to sit through a beam routine without going queasy in the stomach or light headed