I feel bad saying this, but my oldest daughter isn't what you call athletic. It just doesn't seem to come naturally to her. The only sport she has excelled at so far was swimming. Last month I signed her up for gymnastics. She says she likes it, but boy, it is painful for me to watch her. She just lacks the flexibility that would make it easier to do handstands and cartwheels etc. When she does get up into the handstand, she falls over and land on her back. She is 9 and taller than the other kids. It just has to hurt, but she wants to keep trying and practicing.
There are other sports she wants to try, but many of these sports associations have had girls in it for years, and for her to be the newcomer and beginner and join the fierce competition..... I don't know if I can get myself to watch her.
Whatever happened to the days when the park districts offered intramural sports and classes... for FUN!?
That's so sad! Do you have i9 sports in your area? They are awesome in including everyone and making sports fun! http://www.i9sports.com/
As a kid I HATED sports. I was not competative at all. My mom didn't make me do them. My sister was awesome though! I did do swimming though and was good at that. I tried gymnastics, but was awful. My son is good at sports, but he doesn't like being competative, so the i9 sports is awesome for that!
It is hard to watch when they aren't that good.
My DS loves to play baseball, so he says, but man o man, he stinks.
That is hard. Both of my boys are fairly athletic, but my youngest has no interest in sports what so ever. He played baseball for a few seasons when he was littler and was fairly good, he just has no desire to play. My oldest is my competitive one and would play every sport available to him if I'd let him, but there is no way that we could manage 2-3 sports teams a season along with his other activities.
Does she want to do gymnastics because all of her friends are doing it? I was a very social child, so I know that there were some activities that I did because that is what my friends were doing.
Quoting maidjillian:
That's so sad! Do you have i9 sports in your area? They are awesome in including everyone and making sports fun! http://www.i9sports.com/
As a kid I HATED sports. I was not competative at all. My mom didn't make me do them. My sister was awesome though! I did do swimming though and was good at that. I tried gymnastics, but was awful. My son is good at sports, but he doesn't like being competative, so the i9 sports is awesome for that!
No :(
I may try to nudge her toward individual performance sports, like swimming, track/running, dance.... sports where if she is a weak link she isn't going to necessarily tank the game, kwim? She wants to try volleyball, but that is a sport that is competitive and if you don't get the ball over the net, your teammates are going to be all over you.
My daughter is not coordinated either. Right now she is not in any sports programs due to our work schedule but I'm trying to find one for her.
Quoting Jinx-Troublex3:
I'm going through this with DS2 who is also doing gymnastics. He's built like a fireplug. LOL...we have been working on skills and upper body strength at home. He wants to do it so we are going to stick with it as long as he is having fun...which he definitely is!
My daughter says she is having fun. I'm wondering how long it takes to increase flexibility, like the splits etc. When my daughter goes over I am thinking in my head "Tiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiim-ber... thud." I think next session I will add a tumbling class... maybe 2x a week will help. It doesn't help that her little sister is doing cartwheels left and right constantly. She is picking it up easier.
So long that they have fun, even if that fun is costing an arm and a leg..... maybe that is what is adding to the pain.
The most important thing is that she's having fun. I'm sure she will improve over time too.
Here, the rec sports are appropriate for beginners at any level. The association sports seem to be more competitive. I also don't think 9 is too late. My son didn't start his main sport until 8, and at 12, he's now caught up to peers that started at 6, with some hard work and determination on his part. If we had kept him at the rec level, he would be above most of his peers at his age. I'm sure the same will happen with your daughter if she finds a sport she loves.
She will only get better if she tries and practices hard. She is young. And she has time to catch up with the the others.
I say let her try whatever she wants within reason. Who knows maybe she is really good at that one sport but hasn't been given the chance to find out.
I agree with Barbara on the age thing as well.
Sister's kids' parties and events....too much...need advice
- mom22tumblebugs
on Feb. 15, 2012 at 12:30 PM