Gymnastics

 

When Abby turned three, we decided she was really ready to start a weekly activity. After lots of consideration, we decided to wait to join dance for a little while longer and give gymnastics a try! Abby was thrilled at the idea of going to any kind of "class" and excited that she was going to have a chance to be just like Dora the Explorer in:

Nagymama sent Abby this dvd for her birthday and it has quickly become one of Abby's new favorites.

We enrolled Abby in her first eight week session. The morning of her first day she couldn't wait to get to class and meet her new teacher, which is why I was pretty surprised by her response as soon as class started. Abby was not having it. She literally cried (hysterically) through the entire class. I think it was fear of the unknown paired with being around other kids who had been doing it for a while (considering they are two and three...I'm not sure what a while means, but those kids knew the drill).  I encouraged her as my protective mom heart broke watching her push through her tears. She was afraid and hesitant the whole class, but she never gave up. Through all the tears and wailing, she tried everything Miss Beth instructed. I was so proud of her for persevering. Since we had just made it through one of the hardest hours of her life and I had just handed Miss Beth a check signing my child up for eight weeks of something she seemed to severely dislike, we made a beeline to McDonald's afterwards for a smoothie. It was a much needed stop for some refreshment, a bravery reward and a pep talk....after all, there was only six more days until we had to do this all over again. 

It might look like Abby is looking up at the camera to smile, but really she is shouting at me through the glass window to rescue her from the torture. Great feeling as a mom...just keep smiling and giving the thumbs up...only 15 more minutes left.

Week 2: Daddy's turn. With his flexible schedule, Joe was able to take a couple of hours in the morning to take Abby and see what it was like. Good news! We made progress. She only whined 50% of the time and tried a few new things. Getting more familiar and a bit more daring. She made personal progress and pushed through her fears again.

Week 3: Turning point week! Not only did Abby run into gymnastics excited to see Miss Beth, but when it was time to get on the trampolines, she hopped right up. Here's the thing...when I enrolled Abby as a three year old in gymnastics, I didn't think she would be "behind" because she had not learned how to somersault yet. I thought that she would learn that at gymnastics...well apparently that is a skill they learn in the one and two year old class. Ok, overachievers! :) So, when it was Abby's turn to get on the trampoline and do a "jump jump roll", she looked at me, then Miss Beth and I saw the moment of panic set in. "But I don't know how to do a roll!" We all encouraged her to give it a try. Miss Beth did a quick demonstration and then THIS: http://youtu.be/2DfEPrGyogE

Week 4: Abby was at the front of the line trying to lead the pack. That's the Abby we know. When Miss Beth demonstrated a new technique, Abby stepped right up to try it first. She was throwing herself backwards into a little kid back handspring type flip and climbing up over the ladder without help.

high fives from Miss Beth!

We are so proud of our little girl. Not just because of what she is accomplishing, but because of how she is growing. It has been so rewarding to see the progress she has made from being completely afraid to being courageous and excited to try new things. Thank you Nana and Nagymama for the birthday gifts you sent to Abby. They are being used to give Abby these great experiences!