Thursday, September 1, 2011

Gymnastics

This evening, Peeper and I took a free demo class at a gymnastics and dance studio near our house.

She loooooved it, but I think that instead of enrolling there, we'll probably take what we assume is a very similar class at the city recreation center, starting in a few weeks, because it's cheaper.

(This place is $40 for a yearly membership, and $47/month for the class, starting and stopping at any point. The rec center is $39 for a six-week session. That's kind of a big difference.)

The rec center's comparable class is for "18 months to under 3 years," and the first session ends, literally, two days before she turns three (!) so she'd be about the oldest in the class.

They have another class, for three year olds, called "Sporties for Shorties" (I love that!) that teaches the basics of soccer, basketball and tee ball. I think she'd really like that, but I don't know that she'd be ready to go right into it the week after her birhtday, especially since it's not a Mommy and Me.

But, I'm thinking I'll talk to the instructor of the other class and see what s/he thinks, and maybe it would be best anyway to take a break from it and put her in that after the holidays, or even the spring, when she's a lot three-er.

In the meantime, though, she did great tonight. She (mostly) followed directions and (mostly) listened to the teacher. She had no problem marching off after the teacher to go get a ball, or running over to the ball bin with the other kids to return it, or letting the teacher take her around the room to demonstrate all the "stations."

At one point, the teacher even told me that "She seems like she's really athletic!"

I tried not to laugh out loud.

She was not really getting the concept of a logroll. About the time she figure it out, they switched to a front roll, which totally confused her.



This put your hand on the floor and walk your feet up and do a handstand thing, she was all over, though!


If we do decide to go ahead and take this class, I think I will find a different time/day to go, though, because there was this one little girl in there who's taken the class before, but surely that's the extend of her gymnastics training, because she's three years old, but her mother is clearly Gymnastics Mom.

She was using all the proper terminology for everything (I assume. What do I know.) and was all over this poor kid for the whole hour, squawking at her to do every little thing rigth when the teacher said it, and perfectly.

Really?

I'm sorry that your gymnastics days are over, lady, and you're old and fat now*, but let your kid have some fun. She's three fucking years old.

I can't listen to that week in and week out. Seriously, I will sign up for a less convenient time rather than having to be in the class with her. Can. Not. Handle.


* Just to clarify: I, also, am old and fat, and any glory days that I might have had are clearly past, so I am allowed to say such things. You - yes, you, the skinny little twenty-two-year-old over there - are not.

2 comments:

  1. Looks like fun! Except for GM. :p Maybe she's bucking for a reality show. Poor kid.

    lk

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  2. I've seen a few high-pressure parents like that in the private school I teach in. I feel very sorry for the child, who's being demanded to do things she's not ready to do. The parent obviously has issues, and needs to get help with them, as well as take some parenting courses before she really damages her child. I would almost go so far as to say she's abusing her child. I don't blame you for not wanting to be there; I'd choose another class too. It sounds as if Peeper will have lots of fun with the activities.

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