About Donovan Sinton Expertise I can answer questions about different levels of development amongst young athletes. I can answer youth sport, high school, and even college level questions regarding physical, mental, and organizational issues with kids and sports. I would like to keep the questions specific to sports, coaching, drills, etc. I am not a psychiatrist or licensed physician although the psychosomatic (mind-body) connection as it pertains to sports is certainly within my expertise and interest
Experience I have over twenty years experience with coaching and advising young people at the youth, high school, and college level regarding physical and mental exercises, habits, and overall well being. I have been lucky enough to have been both an athlete and coach at the NCAA level
Organizations American Baseball Coaches Association
Expert: Donovan Sinton Date: 5/3/2007 Subject: 5 yr old gymnast
Question Donovan,
My 5 yr old daughter takes group swimming lessons (30 min) once a week (Mon) and is on an invitation only pre-team in gymnastics which trains 2 hrs on Wed & 2 hrs on Fri.
She enjoys her gym and never complains about going to training, but often out of the blue, she'll say that she hates gymnastics and wants to quit. She says that she just wants to swim.
Is this common? How do I reply?
I have no intention of letting her quit gymnastics. It's a great sport for young girls. And she's compact, strong and flexible. There is no reason she can't swim and do gymnastics.
The truth is she's borderline tomboy and I want her to be in a "girly" sport.
Is it wrong for me to not give her a choice at whether or not she does gymnastics?
Thanks,
Ann
Answer Ann,
Thanks for the question. This is not an uncommon issue for parents to deal with. First of all, your daughter, being a five year old, is going to have all kinds of ideas about what she hates and what she loves from time to time. When I was a kid I used to throw a fit when I had to take a shower, but then you couldn't get me out once I was in there. As long as she's happy once she's at gymnastics class, I don't think there is any reason to let her quit....at least not yet. You are absolutely right for not letting your daughter quit on a whim as this sets a bad precedent for the future, but the one thing that you may want to watch out for is putting her into activities that are complimentary or attractive to you. You should let her explore as many sports and activities as possible regardless of society's views on that sport. Frankly, you can't go wrong with gymnastics or swimming as far as physical fitness is concerned, but what if she has a gift to play golf or volleyball or softball? Your daughter should be exposed to as many positive experinces as possible so she can make up her own mind when she's older. Let me know how it turns out. I hope this helps. If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask.
