B
bigtiny
My 8-year-old daughter has been a little down lately. She competed Level 7 last year and did quite well, even winning states on bars. But it seems that she is getting down on herself, and that has me frustrated. I would be satisfied to have her walk away from gymnastics at any time - she has many talents and interests - but she insists that she loves it and wants to continue. It seems that one friend keeps pointing out to her that she has gained an edge over her, though my daughter does not care and only wants to be friends. So, my daughter convinced herself (or was convinced) that she was somehow not as "good" as her friend anymore.
So, we sat down. I asked her to write down on one side of the paper everything that her friend has done that she has not. She wrote down 2 gymnastics skills. I said, "Anything else? Is there anything else that she has done or can do that you can't?" and she shook her head no.
And then I flipped the paper over and I asked her to make a list of the things that she has done that her friend has not. She paused for a moment, and then started writing furiously. After a couple of minutes, she handed me this list:
1. earned my Jr. Black Belt
2. learned to play piano
3. rode a dogsled in Alaska
4. saw the view from the top of the Empire State Building, St. Louis Arch, Seattle Space Needle, and Washington Monument
5. went snowmobiling in Vermont
6. gone horseback riding
7. performed in front of an auditorium at dance recitals
8. volunteered to help others
9. stood on a real glacier
9. ridden an Alpine Slide
10. panned for gold in a real gold mine
11. eaten churros and spoken Spanish in Barcelona
12. gone skiing and snow tubing
13. stood on the top of the Rock of Gibraltar
14. run in a bunch of road races
15. walked on the coast of France
16. saw whales, sea lions, and bald eagles in the wild
17. stood next to Big Ben and saw Buckingham Palace
18. went indoor sky-diving
19. climbed the Great Smoky Mountains
20. climbed a rock wall on the top of a ship
I showed her the side of the paper with the two gymnastics skills written on it, and then I showed her the side of the paper with her list on it. "What do you think?"
She said, "I think I'm okay."
Parents: Don't let your kids grow up in the gym. They only get to be kids once. It shouldn't be about how many hours can you convince the coaches to let them train. It should be about what kind of people you give them the opportunity to become.
So, we sat down. I asked her to write down on one side of the paper everything that her friend has done that she has not. She wrote down 2 gymnastics skills. I said, "Anything else? Is there anything else that she has done or can do that you can't?" and she shook her head no.
And then I flipped the paper over and I asked her to make a list of the things that she has done that her friend has not. She paused for a moment, and then started writing furiously. After a couple of minutes, she handed me this list:
1. earned my Jr. Black Belt
2. learned to play piano
3. rode a dogsled in Alaska
4. saw the view from the top of the Empire State Building, St. Louis Arch, Seattle Space Needle, and Washington Monument
5. went snowmobiling in Vermont
6. gone horseback riding
7. performed in front of an auditorium at dance recitals
8. volunteered to help others
9. stood on a real glacier
9. ridden an Alpine Slide
10. panned for gold in a real gold mine
11. eaten churros and spoken Spanish in Barcelona
12. gone skiing and snow tubing
13. stood on the top of the Rock of Gibraltar
14. run in a bunch of road races
15. walked on the coast of France
16. saw whales, sea lions, and bald eagles in the wild
17. stood next to Big Ben and saw Buckingham Palace
18. went indoor sky-diving
19. climbed the Great Smoky Mountains
20. climbed a rock wall on the top of a ship
I showed her the side of the paper with the two gymnastics skills written on it, and then I showed her the side of the paper with her list on it. "What do you think?"
She said, "I think I'm okay."
Parents: Don't let your kids grow up in the gym. They only get to be kids once. It shouldn't be about how many hours can you convince the coaches to let them train. It should be about what kind of people you give them the opportunity to become.