Finding out whether she’s a gymnast, a fish, or Ralph Macchio

We enrolled Kaitlyn (the 5 year old) in a gymnastics class at our gym. It’s a basic learn how to tumble, balance, and do cartwheels type of class—nothing too difficult. We looked at enrolling her in the local top-notch gymnastics club but the cost for a similar class was a lot more and we felt that it wasn’t worth it yet. We didn’t really even know if she wanted to take gymnastics, but we did know she needed to do something this winter. She’s got way too much energy and now’s the time for her to learn how to harness that energy into a sport or activity. It’s the “try it on” period. So, she’s going to try out gymnastics for a session, then move on to karate or swimming. She’s expressed interest in all three activities, as well as dance. So, we’re just taking a shot with gymnastics first. I really don’t care which one she ends up sticking with, if any, I only care that she finds something she likes to do and wants to continue with. Not because I want her to become the next Nastia Luikin, or Michael Phelps (okay, well, Dara Torres) or Daniel from The Karate Kid. I want her to enjoy being physically active. I want her to push herself and become confident in her strength and abilities. It’s clear my personal experiences are driving a lot of this, but that’s okay this time. She’s excited because she gets to do all of these different sports and hopefully she’ll find something she likes and wants to stick with. I’d love to cheer for her on the sidelines of a karate competition or a swim meet, or whatever.

Now, this is not to say that I am only focused on their physical development. I fully intend to have them take piano lessons and develop their creative side. My mom is a piano teacher and she would shoot me dead in my tracks if my girls didn’t learn to play the piano at some point during their childhood. Playing the piano teaches you patience, rhythm, and really helps develop your math comprehension. Well, it’s supposed to—I never did well in math and I took piano lessons for years! (maybe it skips a generation). Music is a huge part of my childhood and I want them to experience that, too.

Really, my biggest hope for Kaitlyn in all of this experimentation is that she discovers how strong she is, how much fun it is to be a kid, and how many different ways there are to express yourself. And, that it’s “cool” to be strong, graceful, patient, competitive, and FIERCE. ;)