Parents Why so sad..

[Ex member]

For the past few sessions dd (youngest ) has looked sad at the beginning of her gym session (warm ups and conditioning), she even told me she felt sick after coming out after warm ups a few days ago (she didn't like a certain conditioning exercise they usually do and we had just got a new kitten), I offered to take dd home and she said no and went back in and was fine for the rest of the session (they didn't end up doing the conditioning exercise she didn't like).

Dd looked down and sad last night again after warm ups but didn't complain of a belly ache or sickness. I have asked if she was happy in gym and she said she was, I told her she looked down and that another parent had also noticed it. Dd came out of her session and told me how much she loved it and that she cannot wait to go again next week.

It is getting to me that dd always looks so sad and looks like she doesn't want to be there even though she says differently and insists she wants to be there. She seems to get on ok at gym and doesn't cry on refuse to do anything while she is there and she can keep up with her team mates and she says she always talks to her team mates, I have had no feedback from the coach, of there was an issue then I am sure she would have mentioned something by now.

Dd is younger then her team mates, it this normal to go through phases like this or is this something that needs to be discussed with the coach to see if there is a bigger issue? Or maybe she is not keen on conditioning and that occupies her thoughts for the first part of gym?

 

[Iwannabemargo]

for lots of children conditioning isn't fun. In fact many do give up because its "too hard". Its one of the things that my daughter uses to separate "gymnasts" from "people who do gymnastics", gymnasts suck it up and give their all, people who do gymnastics moan and cheat and give up (her words not mine).

It is tough - you try doing what these little mites do, and it is part of the mental toughness required to succeed in the sport. ITs not something that can be taught, I think its an inherent determination within each child. They may not like it, but they understand its necessary and get on with it.

 

[Ex member]

Dd enjoys quite a lot of the conditioning exercises and loves the splits part, the one she doesn't like very much is where they have to lay over the pommel horse face down and lift themselves up while the coach holds their legs and sometimes they have to add a slight twist, dd says it hurts her legs (I guess due it is due to her size). Dd understands why they do the conditioning and has seen the results after the last testing they did.

 

[mommyof1]

My daughter is like this with ballet class. She acts all mopey on the way in, and then as soon as she sees her friends in line she is happy and bouncy. After class she always says she had a good time. Her issue is a little different than your daughter's dislike of a particular exercise, though--she just doesn't like getting up and out of the house on Saturday mornings.

It sounds like your gymmie will be fine. She is managing to get through the exercise she doesn't like and is consistently coming out of practice happy. I wouldn't offer to take her home, or interact with her in any way during practice (you mentioned that she comes out after warm-ups). Can you put her water bottle, snack, or whatever else she's coming to get from you in a different place where she can get it herself without having the opportunity to see and talk with you?

 

[Flyaway]

Maybe she's just really concentrating on what the coach is saying or what she's doing and doesn't realize she's looking sad? She hasn't actually told you she's sad right? My dd makes this funny face when she's concentrating really hard- she sucks her bottom lip in, she looks terrified of something, but I know she's just in the moment. Maybe that's it?

 

[wheezy]

Mine get the same way. I always tell her that the warm/cond. is just part of it. It will be over soon and then she get on to fun stuff. I also found that when I feel sad for her, it does not help her either. She senses it and kinda milks it! I decided Monday to be completely nonchalant about it and, guess what, today so is she!

 

[gothgymmom]

I understand all too well. My dd says her teammates are mean and the coaches are mean, but she loves gymnastics and doesnt want to quit. Her definition of "mean" and our definition of "mean" are not the same things lol. If one girl tells her shes doing something shes not supposed to, thats being mean to my dd. We were trying to tell her not to let others dictate how she percieves gymnastics and to work through it.

 

[Ex member]

Dd has practice again tomorrow and they do her least favourite conditioning, I will see if she has any "tummy aches, sickness or headaches" then. I just asked dd if she was looking forward to it and she shrugged her shoulders, I asked her if she wanted to go and she said yes, I just don't get it lol, why go somewhere if you are not keen on something.

 

[Bess]

I think the reality of ANY type of activity is that it's never going to be fun 100% of the time. Especially for little ones that are just now adjust to the schedule. Your little one knows she loves gymnastics and even though some parts are just plain stinky...she wouldn't want to stop. Besides...where's the fun if everything came easy? You would never feel the rush of finally accomplishing goals you worked hard for

 

[Muddlethru]

Based on my own experience with my kids, not liking just one aspect of their sport is not enough to make them as "sad" as your daughter seems. Usually it is something else and sometimes it is something they cannot articulate (if they are too young) or something they don't want me know because they are embarrassed, feel they will get someone in trouble or themselves in trouble, etc. I have no doubt she dislikes a certain conditioning exercise but this may just be an excuse she used to cover something. It does not or may not be something horrific, but maybe to her it is. I'd try to talk to her a little more.

 

[Jenny]

I think the reality of ANY type of activity is that it's never going to be fun 100% of the time. Especially for little ones that are just now adjust to the schedule. Your little one knows she loves gymnastics and even though some parts are just plain stinky...she wouldn't want to stop. Besides...where's the fun if everything came easy? You would never feel the rush of finally accomplishing goals you worked hard for

This

I found with my dd, she was keen to increase hours and every time she did she was on a high for 6 months. Then she seemed to struggle for a few months, very tired, lack of energy but was still dead keen on gymnastics. Then she seemed to catch up with herself and be fine again, and then of course she wanted more hours again

 

[Deleted member D3987]

 

[Deleted member D3987]

 

[2gymkids]

So last school year when my DD had started a more serious/advance 90 minute rec class (geared towards kids moving up to pre-team) that had a lot of conditioning, most of the kids went through a brief phase like this as conditioning got harder and more frequent. I think it's a natural hump to go over. Of course, one day my DD looked totally solemn and almost miserable down in the gym I asked her about it afterwards- if she was ok. She said yes and asked why. I told her she just didn't look like she was having very much fun in the gym. Her response?
"Mom, if you want to be an Olympic gymnast, you have to be serious."
Right. Point taken. Sometimes you just don't know what's going on in their little heads.
I think it's a normal phase and I wouldn't worry about it unless it become long term or she stops wanting to go. My DD is finally starting to understand that hard work and conditioning= able to do tougher skills.

 

[Ex member]

Thanks for the replies and posting dd's favourite song dunno.

I asked dd after gym yesterday why she looked so down after warms ups and she said that is makes her feel a little tired and she when she is feeling tired she doesn't smile, she loves gym and is now asking to go more. Dd was fine doing her conditioning yesterday, they did the exercise she wasn't too keen on and she said she quite liked it this time and they also did rope climb (one of her favourites) and exercises with hand weights (like small coloured dumb bells), pull ups both grips, leg lifts on stall bar, hanging scissor kicks on a bars, squat jumps on the spot on big crash mats, they do around 30 mins of conditioning before moving on the apparatus which usual involves more conditioning,they are also training to do giants (have been doing this for a few weeks now) on the strap bar. Dd has improve a lot of beam after her earlier wobble and has got over a lot of her fears and got more confident,she can now do higher tuck jumps on a competition beam and can do 4/5 forwards rolls in a row without falling off , she used to be the last to complete this (they have to do 5 without falling off before moving on to cartwheels on the floor beam, dd can do left and right cartwheels on the floor beam) dd was the first to do her forwards rolls last night. They have also been working on backwards rolls were they start standing with their legs straight and arms straight above their head then tip backwards into a backwards roll keeping legs and arms straight and get up in a pike shape, dd can now do these on the floor (she picked it up after a couple of goes on a wedge mat, she seems to be picking things up quickly at the moment and I tell her that it is because she is getting stronger with the conditioning she is doing).

 

[Deleted member D3987]

so there is no misinterpretation, supplant gymnastics/conditioning and the athlete relationship...not a human relationship. remember, gymnastics is a NOUN.

 

[wheezy]

My DD is the littlest and cutest (I am partial of course) on team but she has won herself the title of most 'serious' looking. She can look downright morose!!! LOL. Put it this way, it is impossible for her to use ANY cutesy floor music. It will have to be dramatic and death like..........BTW, she loves gymnastics and is just kinda serious with it. It can be perplexing though because she is small and looks so young. I love it when she gets goofy in practice though although this does not happen often.