Love coming back to this thread seeing all the amazing improvements everyone is making. My cp decided to hang up her nfinity's a week before Cheersport. I always said that I wouldn't know what I'd do if she ever decided to quit. But that day, I honestly felt her pain. Her heart was not in it. I listened to her with an open heart and realized her happiness was all that mattered to me. I was a little disappointed that I had put so much money into 8 years of cheer for her to just quit 1 week before a major comp. But when I saw the relief in her when she walked out of the gym, I knew it was time. There was no telling if this was permanent or temporary. But, I knew in that exact moment, that this was the right thing for her. It was 100% her decision and I have stood by her 100%. She packed up every single sports bra, spanx, shorts, t-shirts and bows and put them in the garage.
This past Saturday, she asked to go to a tumble class. It was the first time in 2 months that she asked to tumble or do anything related to cheer. She was happy, she smiled, she laughed and for the first time, she didn't seem to feel pressured by anyone (including me) She tumbled the best I've seen her tumble since last summer. I think the 2 month break was exactly what she needed. Heck, she might even decide she wants more time off. I think the reason I wanted to post this is because I'm so proud of her for putting her foot down and saying "enough" and I'm proud of myself for listening, like REALLY listening to what SHE wanted, instead of worrying about how much money was being thrown away. In the past, I would brush her complaints off as "she's just tired after a hard practice" "i'll give her some time to think about it, she'll miss it if she quits" or my typical "she doesn't mean it, she'll be ready to go back tomorrow" I would constantly tell her she'd regret it. I feel like that's the only reason she continued to go back. Out of guilt. I am ashamed of myself for putting that kind of pressure on her. We want what's best for our kids. I think sometimes we push for the things that we think are best for them. But, I think it's really what we think is best for us. It's gives US (parents) a sense of accomplishment. It gives us something to show our friends and family "look what Susie can do now!" "My Susie is going to make it to a World's team no matter how much I have to spend on privates/classes" "My Susie is so much better than Sally, we're just going to have to show them" After being away from it for 2 months, it became 100% clear to me.
She decided she wants to go back next season. She does NOT want to be on a level 5 again. She knows she may never fly again (because she's not 4 ft) and she's sorta ok with that. She knows she can't do anything about it. Her goal for this next season is to be happy...plain and simple. And my goal for next season, is to make sure she reaches her goal.
Thanks for reading and listening. I really hope this is helpful to someone else who may be going through the same issues. If not, it has helped me to talk about it.
