Over the summer I thought Alison might be interested in gymnastics, so I signed her up. You know, just to pass the time until she could start real ballet at age five. There was a waiting list, naturally, but the call finally came last week that a space had opened up.
This is a child who does not like new places, new people, or new things. I anticipated her sitting on my lap while the rest of the class participated, at least for the first few weeks. Especially since she is only just now, in the fourth week of school, not clinging to me at drop off and crying intermittently throughout the day.
*
Lo and behold, Alison jumped right in there, made friends with each kid in the class, and tackled every new obstacle with gusto. There is something about gymnastics that struck a chord with my girl. She balanced and jumped and flipped and pulled, smiling all the while. I have never been more proud of her, and that’s saying a lot.
As we left, Alison asked if she could come back to gymnastics every day. When I had to tell her no, we could only come on Mondays, she promised to go right to bed, forever, if she could come maybe twice a week, then.
Her attitude has improved so much after just the one class, that I’m beginning to think it would be worth the money to pay for several classes each week. If only so that I can spend more time with this sweet, happy child instead of the whiny, bossy kid that had, until recently, taken up residence in our home.
* Sorry for the major blur – it’s hard to get a good shot, with no flash, from across the room!
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5 replies on “Are Gymnasts Born or Created?”
Awwww. That makes me smile. It’s so fun to discover something your child is excited about. My son just started basketball and he laughs and smiles the whole 1/2 hour. I love it.
How fantastic that she loves it so much!
Okay, is it bad that I’m happy to hear someone else is dealing with a whiny kid and school trouble?
Do you know of an activity that would work for a three year old boy???
Nah, we’re all in this together, right? I have no idea what exactly to suggest. I think what especially works for Alison is that it’s something that is structured (by someone other than me) but she gets to let of a WHOLE LOT of energy. There are rules, of course, but she is basically able to just be physical for almost an hour, and the positive reinforcement at this place is AWESOME.
They were giving out lots of praise, but in a very specific way – Alison’s teacher praised her several times for the way she waited her turn, the way she kept trying to do a flip over the bar, until she got it right, and also told her that she KNEW Alison was a natural, and would be doing flips on her own in no time. Talk about a beaming child! (And mother, for that matter).
Once Blythe is 18 months, I can sign her up for one of two classes – a structured tumbling class, or a free-play class that doesn’t include the bars and what not. You better believe I’m signing her up! But probably for the free-play.
i love that kid!