All-Star Advice To Gym Moms....

[ufomom]

I have the whole series on my phone. *fanning myself thinking about it*
Sorry for the hijack. Carry on.

So should I download book 2?

 

[cheercurl]

I have the whole series on my phone. *fanning myself thinking about it*
Sorry for the hijack. Carry on.

So should I download book 2?

I am going on Vacation the end of June. I hope I can make it until then before reading book 2 & 3. Christian Grey=Ian Somerhalder Google him and tell me he is not exactly what you picture when you close your eyes...enough said.

 

[dawgshow]

So should I download book 2?

YES!!

 

[dawgshow]

And yes, I used shouty letters on purpose.

 

[CaptainoftheCheerocracy]

Like NJ Coach said...you kids will "parrot" what you say and do. Very often they believe what you believe, they take their cues from you. If you are proud of them, they can be proud of themselves.

Oh and also remember that they really DO "parrot" your comments from home. Sometimes what you say about the coaches or the gym, BUT also remember that sometimes the coaches know an uncomfortable amount of information about your home life, they are just too polite not too share it with you.

Especially the little kids, not only do they share your dirty laundry, they exaggerate and misunderstand =) getting a speeding ticket turns into "my dad got arrested this weekend."

 

[armycheermom]

I like "sign guy" too....I'm married to him

If you like it, then you should've put a ring on it...Or in your case, I liked it, so I put a ring on it...

 

[REA Dad]

Here is a great article that I suggest all parents read.

What Makes A Nightmare Sports Parent -- And What Makes A Great One | ThePostGame

 

[Lisa M]

I can't say I agree with this post. While I do not have to push my daughter, or beg her to do cheer, I feel this is my sport too. I am a gym owner,and coach and I feel she is my isperation for all this. This is both our sport. Do I expect to give it her all? Absolutly. Do I praise her and encourage her. YUP. I also cheer on my girls at the gym the same way I cheer on my daugher. If they get a layout, you better believe, I am jumping up and down with them and for them like I would my own. Nat does though want to cheer and tumble 24-7-365. Before I became I gym owner, I could drop her off at the door and know that her coaches where working hard on her goals. I would never miss a private though I know my kid better then anyone and so I just don't think it would be fair or someone to judge me. Also, she is already a cheerlebrity, my cheerlebrity.. right along with every other girl who does this sport

 

[xtremeteal4life]

Unless you are Debbie Love (or an equivalent) do not try to coach your child on skills.

I made this very simple mistake that caused my daughter to be off count for her jumps-back in the day we'd prep for every jump and touch our toes (giving my age away)-anyway, it was in the summer (her first year tiny/mini) before they started w/their teams...but as a result, she started prepping every time she did a toe touch, throwing off her count...totally my fault
Of course I told the coaches and apologized and have not taught her anything since, with the exception of the techniques/instructions her coaches give to my husband and I to help her practice at home.

 

[xtremeteal4life]

Agree with this. I have two CP's. My oldest doesn't care about placements in the routine. She just loves being out there. My youngest, however, is on a mission to be point flyer on J5 this year. She wants it so bad. lol I will not tell her to stop trying to achieve that goal but constantly remind her that many factors go into who gets what spot and that she shouldn't think less of herself if she doesn't get it.

I respect that in accordance w/your above post regarding pushing your kids to the best of their ability. I agree with it, but if my daughter for some reason isn't able to achieve "the" maximum potential in this sport and it has nothing to do w/her being lazy, undisciplined, etc., then I'm ok with that..as long as she always gives 100 percent (which at her age she's still working on ) and will not take away from any achievements she does make. Just like you, I won't discourage her from continuing to try to achieve a goal she wants, even if I don't personally think it will happen. Courtney's post a few weeks back regarding her dream as a child and her parents never taking it away from her (despite the fact that they knew she probably wasn't going to be an Olympic gymnast) really resonated with me. I want my little doodlebug to dream as big as she wants and to never take that away from her.....bc for all I know, she very well could be an astronaut, etc.

 

[xtremeteal4life]

I'm not saying don't push your kids to excellence, but they need aspects of their life where tere are other role models besides their parents. I don't sit in the school office all day or sit at the classroom window all day watching, so I don't do it at cheer either.

My CP is very driven, and the goals she reaches are hers. She shines at cheer and it's all her, all I do is drive her to practice.

Sorry, can't agree with the drop-and-shop method of cheer parenting. As long as I have underage children working in close proximity with adults, I'll be there. Love ya, coaches, but I'm glad you're used to me being in the parent lobby

Have to go w/Mamarazzi on this one for the time being. Now her first year (she's entering her third season this year) I'll admit I was at EVERY practice, always wanted to watch her, and couldn't just leave her. It's not that I didn't trust the coaches, rather I enjoyed watching her so much. This past year, my husband was the one who mostly took her to practices bc of my school schedule. There are quite a few times I did go (and I attend and will always attend every comp of hers), but I will speak out and say that we had a closed practice this year before a comp and I think it made a HUGE difference. Instead of our girls looking up at us for approval, parents yelling down to their kids (my hubby included bc my daughter has a bad habit of picking up random, disgusting things off of the floor), etc., they were mostly free from distractions. When practice was over they came out and showed us (the parents) each stunt group and the difference was night and day. It was then I realized that for the team, having closed practices from time to time (at least at this age) was a big asset. Trust me, it's not that I don't want to watch her practice..but it seems the team accomplishes a lot more this way.

My CP wasn't too thrilled about it, bc she loves for one of us to be there watching. Initially she was upset and disappointed, but it didn't stop her from participating. I explained to her that we had still been there and why it was helpful to have practice this way at the time. I think the coaches will probably have some closed practices this upcoming season if need be, and while it sucks, I do support it. That was the first time we had a closed practice, so fortunately we still get to watch our children if we so choose. Now some kids don't do as well with their parents present. I would have been one of those kids.

 

[xtremeteal4life]

It wasn't towards "everyone posting". I actually rather liked your advice - especially about the moms who approach you the fastest at a new gym. (But I kinda thought "Buy an iPad" was condescending, since you want to call out specific things as condescending). I was merely expressing an opinion on something. Advice is one thing - telling me whether or not to stay at my child's practice is another.

And I think it has a LOT to do with how it's worded. Saying "I do this..." vs. saying "You should do this" are 2 completely different things. I (and most people) are much more receptive to people saying things like "I don't teach my kids mediocrity is acceptable" than "YOU should not teach your kids ..."

How receptive would you have been to me replying to your post with "Never leave your kids at practice! You should always watch them constantly. You should not be more involved in your iPad than your kids' lives!" (Not saying I feel this way, just showing that the wording sounds a little presumptuous of me to assume I know what you or your children need).

Sorry my post offended you.

This is likely to piss you off, even though it is not my intention to do so...so let me apologize in advance if that's the case.

For one, I think the thread was carrying on in a mature manner, with no one really getting bent out of shape for offering their opinions, advice, or as you seem to see it, "telling you what to do". McLovin for instance, responded with a very different set of opinions, but in no way did I get the vibe that she was offended or uptight, despite her voicing her opinions. Nor did I get the impression that anyone felt they were being attacked or took it personally...until you.

Like cheermeup said, if something bothers you that bad, then simply don't read it/pay it any mind, and move on (unless you're able to respond w/o it coming across like you have animosity). I do want to say a couple of things. Very often your "parent" posts come across as defensive, condescending, and uppity (IMO anyway); yet they don't really bother me to extent of getting all bent out of shape about it and ranting. Sometimes I'll voice a different opinion, but mostly I'll just ignore it, bc I don't let trivial things like what someone says on a message board, get the better of me. Which leads me to point two...Second, if something someone (a total stranger no less)says on an internet forum gets you this worked up on a regular basis (or at all), it's probably time to take a breather. Now you can perceive this as me "telling you what to do" or advice, but frankly it doesn't matter to me regardless. It's just been my observation that when someone gets bent out of shape about something someone on the internet says, maybe it's time to reevaluate how much time is spent online.

This is just an internet forum and there are plenty of people w/plenty of differing opinions. Just bc they're mine doesn't make them true, bc they're just that...opinions.

I don't really get why you seem to constantly get upset over "parent" issues, when we're all on a forum just expressing our feelings, opinions, and beliefs regarding this sport. It does make me wonder if there are some unresolved issues you're experiencing as a parent in this sport and the only way you can seem to express them is by leading the "parent rally" of "whoa is me". Now that's just my opinion, so there's no need to get bent out of shape about it bc I'm just one person..no one special.

I just understand how some people can take some of the things you say in consistently negative manner. Much as the advice you gave the OP, the way YOU speak to people has an impact on those things as well. Do you know what I mean? Again, I don't mean to hurt your feelings...but I'm ready for the lashing (don't worry, the day someone actually angers me enough online that I continue to think about it after I'm done posting is the day I stop posting for good....it's just the internet for goodness sakes).

I'm reading for my lashing...

 

[xtremeteal4life]

Am I confused or was this thread "Advice to Cheer Moms"? That kind of implies giving advice but doesn't mean anyone has to take it.

The whole flap over recommending an iPad astounds me. I don't have one but having someone say it doesn't in any way offend me and I can't relate to how that is anymore offensive than any of the other advice that I think is silly in this thread and I think there is plenty.

I've had the privilege of knowing cheermeup for 10 years and the idea that she would have intentionally offended or hurt anyone is truly laughable.

All the stuff about her not knowing anyone's socioeconomic status or what some people have to go through to put their children in cheer, shows that they don't know what kind of woman she is and what she's done either.

If I had small children and Terri and I died tonight, she would be one of 3-4 people that I would want to raise my kids (and none of those 3-4 are family).

Because I know they would get 100% of her every day, just like her kids do now.

So I'm thinking we should all just ease up a bit. Agree or disagree with what you want. But try to do it with a bit of class since I know you're all capable of that.

(since I can't shimmy you but once, I will replace with infinite bowdowns)

 

[xtremeteal4life]

:banghead: I literally feel like this guy right now. But I'm gonna keep trying. How is telling me "Drop your kid off and leave. Don't gossip. Don't tell your kid what to do" advice? That doesn't sound anything like telling me something that has worked for someone else. It sounds like a list of things that the poster finds annoying in other parents and wants to vent about.

Which is fine, but just call a spade a spade and say "Hey parents: if you are one of the parents that do these things, it's really annoying. Cut it out." Stop trying to sugar coat it and call it something it isn't.

It didn't until now...but now that you mention it..."Hey, if you're one of "those" parents who sit on the fb and moan and complain about other posters and parents in the cheer world, it's really annoying. Cut it out".

Since you did say that was fine w/you and all....

 

[Just-a-Mom]

It didn't until now...but now that you mention it..."Hey, if you're one of "those" parents who sit on the fb and moan and complain about other posters and parents in the cheer world, it's really annoying. Cut it out".

Since you did say that was fine w/you and all....

I sooooo am not getting dragged back into this thread, despite the numerous attempts to do it. Sorry. I think it's clear, since I stopped posting in it about 2 pages and almost 2 days ago, that I'm done talking about it. If you want to PM me about it, you're more than welcome to. (But for the record, no, I don't have any unresolved issues with my own parenting. I quite like myself as a mom, and my kids do too.)