Summer planning
I have been planning to put the kids into tumbling classes for the summer. I wanted to give them something new to do, help them learn new skills, and hopefully provide some structure for our days. Today I loaded all the kids into the car to go and see the gym. I had every intention of signing them all up for classes. But then I had a hard time finding the place, which made me grouchy. Inside the place was full of people. The huge gym hosted a dozen small groups working on specific skills. Every place I looked someone was flipping, or running, or bouncing. The combined effect was extremely chaotic.
Gleek loved it and nearly quivered with excitement, hoping she could get out and do tricks herself. Link was also enthusiastic. Kiki viewed the scene with caution. She took gymnastics when she was Gleek’s age. Kiki was good at it, but the coach pushed her too hard and she remembers it as an unpleasant experience. Patch dissolved into tears at the thought that he might have to go out there onto the gym floor. I sat with Patch, trying to talk with him and identify why he was upset. He was never able to verbalize it, but I know it has to do with his low tolerance for chaos. He is the most introverted of my children and that gym floor looked horrible to him.
I used Patch’s tears as an excuse to load all the kids into the car without signing anyone up for anything. I too, remember Kiki’s experience with gymnastics. I was also pressured by the well meaning staff who wanted to move Kiki into competition training. I was so glad when Kiki announced her desire to quit. This gym claims that they have two tracks, a competition track and a recreational track. I believe that they do. I also believe that most of the staff has come from the world of gymnastics competition, they love it and are loyal to it. If they see a child in the recreational track who has competitive potential, they will encourage the switching of tracks. I know my Gleek. I know that her intensity, small size, and physical capability are exactly what competitive gymnastics coaches are looking for, but the world of competitive gymnastics is not one that I want for our family. Patch’s tears already told me that the gym would be purgatory for him rather than a delight. I needed to find a different solution for our summer.
Later in the evening we had a family meeting where I talked over potential plans for the summer with the kids. I listed possible activities and their costs. A local museum membership, swim lessons, weekly swimming trips, library trips, visits to see cousins, and trips to the zoo were all mentioned. The tumbling classes were by far the most expensive thing on the list. Everybody voiced their opinions, but I did not ask them to make any decisions. I just wanted them to see options and think things over. By bedtime Kiki, Gleek, and Patch were all leaning toward swimming lessons. Link was still feeling lured by the tumbling classes. I can quite happily enroll Link into gym class because I know that he will not be skillful enough for competition levels any time soon. Neither he nor I will be under any pressure for him to excel.
I still don’t know for sure exactly how the summer will turn out, but I’m starting to get a feel for the shape it will take.