We may enroll DS in gymnastics

KoriBrett

He NEEDS a constructive physical outlet and he's too young for most things. ?The big gymnastics center here takes little ones so we're doing a trial night next month. ?

Problem? ?It's full of olympic trainees and is internationally recognized, bla bla bla. ?Me? ?I'm a fatty and am going to probably chicken out & send DH with him if at all possible. ?Not going to be an enhancement to the ol' self esteem methinks.

And uh, if anyone has other ideas for 2.5year olds, lemme have 'em. ?Swimming is out, he hates it, we'll wait til next summer. ?

mlm1128

Gynnastics was awesome for my cousins son at that edge.  And trust me when I tell you it would be tough to find a more out of control child.  That kid still has more energy than he knows what to do with.

And as a rule, the parents of those kids are stage moms.  If yiu have ever seen an episode of Toddlers and Tiaras you know that they are not so purty themselves.  They live vicariously  through their children for a reason.  But I tend to not give a hoot what people think of my looks.

mlm1128

Oh I know...but we have a national center here to.  Some of the parents are ridiculous.  They are more concerned about who wears the best leotards than what they can actually do.  It's a ittle scary! 

Now normally those are NOT the parents of the truly gifted athletes.  They are the ones that just go more for fun. 

kada626

Seriously don't worry about it. Both my girls are in gymnastics.All the parents that come to the class are different sizes & no one pays attention to them. It's all about the kids. As a "fatty" myself, I never once felt out of place. It's really fun & your son will love it. 

KoriBrett

The logical side of me knows I'm a weenie. ?But.. lol

He'll love it. ?It seems right for him. ?He's constantly climbing jumping flipping trying to do handstands & somersaults, is coordinated & strong as an ox. ?And he can stick a landing like nobody's biz. heh. ?He'll just go bonkers this winter if we don't do something with him, I think it'll be right for him. ?

And thanks girls. ?

Rebekah1021

My sister take my nephew to the gym and to the running track and lets him just around the track to release some energy. 

Would he like basketball? it can be pretty aggressive. Another nephew who just turned 4 is playing flag football. 

4Speedy

Kori, my DD goes to that type of gym, as well.  I was VERY nervous about signing her up because all the little 10 yo's who participate in the 4th of July parade always looked anorexic to me and my DD is a chunky monkey.  There is also mention on the website that starting at age 3, those who show potential will be "tapped on the should" to enter the invitation only competition program.  AT AGE 3!  I was really afraid it would lead to some self esteem issues for DD but t has been the complete opposite.  The instuctors are FANTASTIC and stress overall health and well being.  They also stress the importance of being well rounded--playing, keeping it fun, keeping up with academics for the school age kids, etc.  And they have a lot of programs for the parents as far as nutrition for kids, etc.  None of it is pushed but it is available.  So the gym itself has been a great resource for us. 

However, like others have mentioned, there are some really pushy moms who are ultra competitive.  But they are also the ones who sit on their butts in the waiting room, drinking their 64 oz diet Coke big gulps with a bag of chips while they scream at their kids for having a wobbly landing off the balance beam.  So their opinions don't carry much weight with me.  (pun intended)

Here's another thought--have you checked out your school system's community ed for sports programs?  We have a great program for 18 mos and up--it's just a tumbling class.  The kids are basically thrown in a padded room and they get to go nuts for 45 minutes with minimal instruction on jumping, rolling, skippng, etc.  And lots and lots of "dancing."   Pefect for that age.  We pay $79 a month for DD's gymnastics and we pay the same amount for all 8 weeks of DS's tumbling class.  I would look into it, if I were you.

KoriBrett

4speedy, I've checked out the comm ed classes. ?Some of those are awesome. ?Almost all the dance & physical type classes for under age 6 are during work hours. The enrollment booklets come out 3x a year and every single time it's all daytime. ?The last 2 had nothing for DS at night or on weekends. ?We did DD's dance class that way, but..?

Thanks for the encouragement ladies. ?