Gym Mom

What is a gym mom?
A - Mother that goes to the gym regularly
B - Mother that wishes she could go to the gym
C - Mother of a gymnast who is too lazy to say the whole word so she shortens it to gym
If you guessed C, you are right.





Now, let me say, all the shows about dance moms and pageant moms are, to me, extreme.  I've found that gym moms are, for the most, part easy-going and laid back.  More like soccer moms who get to sit inside and pay more money.
I am the gym mom of a 6 year old Level 3 gymnast.  Never did I think I would have a competitive gymnast.  She started gym at 3 in the preschool class.  She was asked to continue in higher classes and here we are, in a great group of 5 girls competing.
Lexi attend sa great gym.  The owners are married - one a former Olympian and one her coach.  They are from Eastern Europe.  Their daughters coach alongside their mother, and they are serious.  They love the kids, but they pride themselves in creating elite gymnasts.  Now, we don't attend the gym because we are trying to be elite....we live here...it's 10 minutes from our house.  However, we do feel blessed to have such talented people running a gym so close to home.
So, after all of that lead in, let me say that gym moms have to find a balance just like any other _____ "mom."  Weekly, these topics come up:
1. I want to go all the way to Level 10!  (ouch the pocketbook!)
2. I want to quit - it's too hard! (I don't want you to quit just because it's hard!  Would you give up on reading or math?)
3. I love gym! (Whew...this is a happy day)
4. I don't want to go if we have to practice on Saturdays (well, I don't control the schedule)
5. I could go to gym everyday! (Really, didn't you just tell me something different yesterday?)
So, I'm left with how much is too much and how far is too far.  Other gym moms and I discuss this almost daily.  Is it bad that our kids have such big muscles and strong abs?  Should I be worried that my 6 year old girl can do more pullups than high school boys?  8 hours of practice each week seems like so much!  We never get a break to just chill!  I don't want her to give up when the going gets tough, but I don't want to force her to stay in something she doesn't like.  Where is the line?
In the end, we let our kids decide.  They don't get to decide all on their own though because they are 6, not 16.  We don't want them to have any regrets.  However, most moms don't want their kids to be miserable either.
I've always been a huge advocate for kids being kids.  I feel like gym is actually helping this, not hurting this.  Yes, she's busy, but she is in a disciplined sport, getting great exercise and hanging out 3 days a week with great girls with great parents.  She's not watching TV, playing video games, or hanging out with anyone without my approval.  At this point, gym is her bubble and she loves it!

So, as easy as it is to look at us gym moms and

think we are pushing our kids or living vicariously through them or making them stick with it for our own reasons, realize none of us are doing that.  We are trying, just like any other mom, to raise our kids with discipline, good values, strong character, and high self-esteem.  Luckily, they get all that at "the gym"!