cheercurl
Cheer Parent
- Dec 14, 2009
- 2,025
- 3,193
I try really hard never to compare my daughters which in general has always been very easy because they are so different. My oldest daughter is small, determined and was always a great tumbler. It definitely helped that she was a gymnast first. My younger daughter is tall and petulant and always has been. I purposely pushed her in a different direction because I wanted her to have her own "thing". I never put her into a single tumbling class because I knew tumbling would be difficult.
Well guess what? At 10 years old she decided that cheer was her new dream and who was I to tell her no???? Best laid plans ...yada yada yada. Secretly, I was thrilled to be a cheer mom! Only I was right... it was difficult.
So at almost 10 years old she started a tumbling class....holy cow it was not pretty. She was already 5" 1' and now three years later and 6 inches taller she has improved so much. But it is clear she will never reach the level of cheer her older sister achieved...which really is just fine with me. I just wish she had the attitude her older sister embraced. Giving 100% and being the best level 2/3 cheerleader is totally honorable and something to be very proud of. Tumbling is hard at 5 ft 7in., I get that... but you still have to give 100%, in fact since it is maybe more difficult you need to give 110%. I don't like feeling disappointment in her effort. I never taught that "100%" attitude to my older daughter it was just an intrinsic personality trait....one that does not appear to exist in my younger CP.
So something tells me younger CP will not have longevity in this sport if she can't turn this around and that makes me sad. How do you motivate your kids? I am not a big fan of "I will buy you a pony if you get...._____" or whatever. Can you teach a kid to have passion for a goal or a sport? Or is it just an all or nothing kind of thing as in: you either have it or you don't?
Well guess what? At 10 years old she decided that cheer was her new dream and who was I to tell her no???? Best laid plans ...yada yada yada. Secretly, I was thrilled to be a cheer mom! Only I was right... it was difficult.
So at almost 10 years old she started a tumbling class....holy cow it was not pretty. She was already 5" 1' and now three years later and 6 inches taller she has improved so much. But it is clear she will never reach the level of cheer her older sister achieved...which really is just fine with me. I just wish she had the attitude her older sister embraced. Giving 100% and being the best level 2/3 cheerleader is totally honorable and something to be very proud of. Tumbling is hard at 5 ft 7in., I get that... but you still have to give 100%, in fact since it is maybe more difficult you need to give 110%. I don't like feeling disappointment in her effort. I never taught that "100%" attitude to my older daughter it was just an intrinsic personality trait....one that does not appear to exist in my younger CP.
So something tells me younger CP will not have longevity in this sport if she can't turn this around and that makes me sad. How do you motivate your kids? I am not a big fan of "I will buy you a pony if you get...._____" or whatever. Can you teach a kid to have passion for a goal or a sport? Or is it just an all or nothing kind of thing as in: you either have it or you don't?