Flipping Out

With the stipend money we get for Aubree's home school enrollment, we decided she could take gymnastics classes.  We made this choice not because we think gymnastics is an area of strength or innate talent, but rather because it's an area of weakness.

Before we chose a gym we took trial classes at three different gyms.  

The first gym was "super-fun."  There was music, and running around, and lots of laughing, and Aubree had a blast.  The down-side was there wasn't a whole lot of improvement; the kids who had been taking classes for a year were not much better than the newbies.

The second gym was ridiculously strict (for example, Aubree had to do five push-ups every time she didn't hold a landing for 3 seconds) and no fun at all. Aubree walked out saying, "no way!" It was easy to cross that gym off the list.

The third gym fell more in the middle.  The coaches want the kids to have fun and they're very encouraging, but they also expect and facilitate significant progress. Kids improve rapidly, but are expected to try hard.

As I watched Aubree in her trial class at gym #3, it was obvious to me that she was struggling.  She didn't know the routines and (admittedly) gross motor skills are not her strength. 

I was surprised to find myself struggling as well.  I'm not used to seeing Aubree struggle (most things, particularly academic things, come very easy to her).  Part of me wanted to jump in and "rescue" her: To break things down, and explain the expectations, or tell the teacher, "this is just too hard."

Our decision-making process was laborious.   Aubree was adamant that she take classes at gym #1.  Mark and I weren't so sure.  While we love the idea of her having fun and we want her to enjoy her chosen sport, we're afraid she's learning bad habits as an unintended side-effect of being naturally talented in academic-type areas.  We've noticed that she often avoids "hard" things and sometimes doesn't persevere when tasks become challenging.  Certainly, some of that is typical of a young child, but I don't want it to become ingrained. I want her to face difficult situations and tasks, and try her best, even when her best if significantly less than that of others around her.  I want her to experience the joy that can come from overcoming obstacles.  I want her to experience failure and realize that failure is just part of the process.

Ultimately, much to Aubree's initial dismay, we chose gym #3. 

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I've been thinking a lot about this experience lately. 

I imagine Heavenly Father feels the same about us sometimes.  We're the little kids who want things to be easy and comfortable.  We want to run around and laugh and play and listen to fun music.  There's a time and place for that, especially when we're little.  But there comes a time when we need to be stretched, to try something new, something we may not even be good at.  Sometimes we cry and stamp our feet, and insist that "No! I want the easy, fun experience."

If I had jumped in and "rescued" Aubree, or enrolled her in the "fun" class, I might have been depriving her of an opportunity to grow and to learn that she's capable of doing hard things.  I trust her teachers and can see evidence in those who have been attending for longer than her, that soon she will become proficient and have gained important new skills and confidence.

******

Aubree's gone to gymnastics for 6 weeks now and her improvement is remarkable.  She's comfortable with the routines and expectations, though she still struggles with many of the skills.  The biggest improvement is in her attitude.  She's usually excited to go to class and likes to "practice" throughout the week.

I'm grateful she trusted in my judgment and is willing to give her best effort, even though it's difficult.  I hope I can follow her example.