Parents Why

[duyetanh]

Because Gymnastics has something that no other sport has . And it’s a giant factor that maxes out the anxiety level is a person. When you add parental pressure the bubble often pops . The result is often fear issues
Or a loss of interest . That one factor that no other sport has is FEAR. And it’s is the all encompassing ever mighty stopper of all stoppers.

This is so true. And it takes special coaches to help navigate it. Even then it isn’t always possible, but without coaches who understand, it’s completely impossible.

 

[kayjaybe]

Because Gymnastics has something that no other sport has . And it’s a giant factor that maxes out the anxiety level is a person. When you add parental pressure the bubble often pops . The result is often fear issues
Or a loss of interest . That one factor that no other sport has is FEAR. And it’s is the all encompassing ever mighty stopper of all stoppers.

I disagree that no other sport has fear, although it might not be as severe as in gymnastics. But I bet any kid who has been injured in their sport or witnessed a severe injury (or any sport that is more inherently scary - high diving, pole vaulting, etc.) can have fear. Ask my other daughter, who took a line drive to the head in field hockey and routinely plays up against girls that are more than a head taller than her and are twice her weight, if she has fear.

That said, it doesn’t rival the fear issues of my gymnast and it manifests itself in different ways.

And for my field hockey girl, I do see some parents that can be as close to as crazy as some gym parents.

Honestly, I think the intensity parents bring to their kids’ sports is more common than some people might think, especially if you haven’t been exposed to the competitive club level of other sports.

 

[Deleted member 14190]

I disagree that no other sport has fear, although it might not be as severe as in gymnastics. But I bet any kid who has been injured in their sport or witnessed a severe injury (or any sport that is more inherently scary - high diving, pole vaulting, etc.) can have fear. Ask my other daughter, who took a line drive to the head in field hockey and routinely plays up against girls that are more than a head taller than her and are twice her weight, if she has fear.

That said, it doesn’t rival the fear issues of my gymnast and it manifests itself in different ways.

And for my field hockey girl, I do see some parents that can be as close to as crazy as some gym parents.

Honestly, I think the intensity parents bring to their kids’ sports is more common than some people might think, especially if you haven’t been exposed to the competitive club level of other sports.

Scary and fear are different. Poll vaulting vs doing a dozen BHS on beam a day.... And that’s just one trick during the day. Flyaways , BHS on floor, level 8 vault , high low release on bars , I could literally go on for ever . Not even in the same solar system . A realistic analogy using your example is. Imagine your daughter having to take 12 line drive hits in the head a day as part of her assignment. And then moving to the next assignment of belly flops on the high dive

 

[triplethreat+1]

One thing I didn't see others hitting upon is the fact that what makes gymnastics different from just about any other mainstream sport is that the athlete continues to learn new, harder skills going up the levels and this takes 10+ years to develop. In most other sports, the first few years are spent learning the foundations and then it is all about refining/perfecting skills.

I think this is the best point yet. I'm sure there are a few sports that do have continually increasingly difficult skills -diving comes to mind- but not to the same degree. Plus of course the fact that each event is like it's own sport. And you can't do something like diving at home!
I would also point out that most of us on CB have relatively reasonable priorities, and think it's fine for a kid to outgrow their love for gym. We just don't want to see them forced out of it from stress, overuse, etc. BUT of cpurse we all know there are oodles of crazies out there who prioritize extrinsic goals at the expense of the person- variations of longevity, college scholarships, elite, or even just being better than Sally at their own gym.

 

[gymdog]

Scary and fear are different. Poll vaulting vs doing a dozen BHS on beam a day.... And that’s just one trick during the day. Flyaways , BHS on floor, level 8 vault , high low release on bars , I could literally go on for ever . Not even in the same solar system . A realistic analogy using your example is. Imagine your daughter having to take 12 line drive hits in the head a day as part of her assignment. And then moving to the next assignment of belly flops on the high dive

I dunno, platform diving kind of messes with my head just watching it. But yeah, in general i'd agree that most sports are mental in some ways but not like gymnastics (pushing the mental limits). The other ones that are comparable are acrobatics based.

 

[MGymMom2024]

Scary and fear are different. Poll vaulting vs doing a dozen BHS on beam a day.... And that’s just one trick during the day. Flyaways , BHS on floor, level 8 vault , high low release on bars , I could literally go on for ever . Not even in the same solar system . A realistic analogy using your example is. Imagine your daughter having to take 12 line drive hits in the head a day as part of her assignment. And then moving to the next assignment of belly flops on the high dive

Doing repetitive skills on beam is not the same as taking repeated line drives to the head, unless you're splitting the beam and falling every time. In that case, perhaps the hesitancy and lack of surety/ confidence comes from training up before the gymnast in question was ready/prepared.

 

[gymgal]

Doing repetitive skills on beam is not the same as taking repeated line drives to the head, unless you're splitting the beam and falling every time. In that case, perhaps the hesitancy and lack of surety/ confidence comes from training up before the gymnast in question was ready/prepared.

As a former baseball mom, the same can be true of the repetitive line drives to the head. If you are taking that many, you shouldn't be pitching...

 

[twinmomma]

As a former baseball mom, the same can be true of the repetitive line drives to the head. If you are taking that many, you shouldn't be pitching...

As a parent of a catcher who repeatedly has to "drop and block" aka take balls to the chest/stomach, fear and mental blocks absolutely are a thing. He spent ALL last year refusing to block, and it was a major issue causing tears, anxiety, and doubts. I think this tendency to say gymnastics is scarier or harder or whatever than other sports just is a horrible path to go down. Why does it have to be a comparison? Look, my son practices baseball stuff at home (hits off the tee primarily) and he is in practice some weeks more than my daughter who is part of a level 9 acro pair. That said, my daughter is on her blocks at home for hours on end. She has an air track (GASP, I KNOW) - not for practice per se, but for her enjoyment. We don't critique EITHER of them at home or in the car after practices or games/competitions.

I do stay at practice, largely because it's too far to go home and come back, and leaving means I'll spend money I don't need to. Sometimes there's errands, but mostly I work, socialize, or watch movies/tv or read. As for the longevity issue - if my son decided to give up baseball I'd feel the same as if my daughter gave up gym. It's been the primary sports focus in his live since he was 3. Yes, he plays other sports (and DD has other activities, including leadership, a few seasons of soccer, etc...) but it would be a big shift for him and I would want to make absolutely certain he was sure.

I will say this too, as a kid, my parents let me switch gears regularly. I finished whatever I was committed to, but I danced, I twirled baton, I played the flute, etc... And as an adult I feel like I never got the chance to truly become great at any one thing. Part of our jobs as parents is to help our kids make decisions that aren't based on whims or one time frustrations - to see their long term goals realized. I never got that, and while I'll support my kids giving up their activities/sports if that's what they truly choose (DD has done artistic, T&T and now acro), I will be sure that they aren't sacrificing long term goals for short term frustrations. And part of that is not being the de facto coach once we get in the car, whether it's gym, soccer, baseball, music, whatever.

 

[rebcoola]

Those rules should apply to other sports as a former player and coach I've had many parents ruin their kids soccer experience. By being over critical over bearing pushing a extra practice at home or with camp after camp etc. As a goalie fears are very real it takes serious guts to rush head long into fray and I've seen nasty accidents that caused long term fears and mental blocks in the injured and spectators.