There’s a fine line between a supportive parent and knowing and acknowledging when your child is ready to quit the sport when it comes to gymnastics. As parents, we tend to want our children to excel in any sport or hobby that they enjoy doing, sometimes making them live our very own hopes and dreams, not realizing that we are harming them in the process. So precisely what should you do if your gymnast wants to quit?
Before anything, sitting down with your daughter is essential to see why they consider quitting the sport. While it may be shocking to you as a parent, especially if gymnastics has been a part of her life for some time, the key to it all is to have excellent communication. Allow your child to have trust in you and vice versa, and hear them out
Instead of getting riled up and shouting, reassure her that you are not mad nor disappointed at the fact that she wants to quit, as this allows your child to feel safer in telling you her thoughts and feelings. It will enable you to determine whether or not this is a temporary feeling or if she is ready to end the sport.
Many young girls consider quitting after an injury, mental blocks, and sometimes when they feel that they are not achieving their full potential compared to their peers. Gymnastics can be a challenging sport for young girls both physically and mentally, and this causes them sometimes to feel doubtful of their skills and whether or not this is the sport for them.
You can try and figure out if that is the issue they are having, and if you have anxiety talking to them about this, you can always speak to their coach to see if they can offer some insight into what is causing her to feel this way suddenly.
Your daughter can also feel burned out or might just be looking to try something new, which is fine. It would be best if you never obligated your child to do something they simply no longer want to do. They have their thoughts and opinions, and they should be respected and should experience different sports and hobbies to see which one is their true calling.
Consider asking them if they are tired of being within the gymnastic community or if she is just tired of doing the same routine every day. These specific questions will allow you to find the root issue without making her feel uncomfortable.
Other events such as fighting with one of her gymnastic teammates can cause her to want to quit as well, so it’s best to be as calm as possible so they can feel comfortable opening up to you. Please remind your child that it is okay for her to change sports, don’t let them feel guilty by bringing up the amount of money you have spent on this sport. That only makes them retract their feelings and create a wall, which can cause them to feel things such as regret and resentment later on as they get older.
It is okay if they prefer taking a break from the sport to see if they want to pursue this later in life. Just because they have done this since they were little does not mean that your daughter will keep the same love and interest for the sport as they mature.
That said, it all depends on the child and how they typically manage their commitment to the sport. If they are sensitive and tend to quit just because they aren’t the best on the team, it’s best to encourage them and keep on trying to learn self-discipline skills early on.
However, if your child is expressing valid reasons to stop pursuing this sport, it is best to support their decision and quit gymnastics if they no longer have the same interest.
If you determine that the decision is not a spur of the moment and don’t want to keep on doing gymnastics, accept this new decision and always support them. Your child may end up finding a new sport in which they feel more comfortable, and it may be the best thing they could have done.
It’s healthy for them to want to quit and try something new, and just because they are choosing to stop now does not mean that the sport will no longer interest them in the future as they get older. It’s good to get a break now and then from the sport to unwind and relax from gymnastics’ demanding and competitive sport.
One advantage of allowing your child to quit gymnastics is that you have more quality time with your daughter, as gymnastics takes a massive chunk of your time. It will enable her body to relax from the strenuous work that she has received over the years of practicing the sport.
The disadvantage of allowing your daughter to stop doing gymnastics would be her regretting her decision later down the road. And while it is not difficult to get back into gymnastics, her body would have to get used to doing the strenuous workouts and routines if she considers going back.
Once you quit gymnastics, your body starts to adjust to a more relaxed lifestyle, and your bones and joints lose their gym-toned appearance. Now, this is not saying that your daughter wouldn’t join the sport again; it would just take her body some time to get used to doing the hard work and training required.
You shouldn’t feel like a failure as a parent if your child wants to stop and try something new; this means that they are growing and trying to find their true calling in life. It would help if you also didn’t force your daughter to keep doing gymnastics for your sake, as that is not fair to them.
As parents, we sometimes have a hard time letting our children let go of their dreams, and we have to understand that if the sport is no longer fun for them, why would you want to force them to continue doing something that no longer pleases them?
Summing it all up, if your child decides to continue with gymnastics or chooses to leave it, then the decision should solely come from them. Reassure them that their quitting does not make them failures and opens her doors for more significant opportunities and experiences.
You can suggest that they take a break for a few months to give them a chance to explore other options, this way, it allows them to try different things and gives them the time to decide if this is what they want.
So, before determining what steps your daughter should take, take the time to sit down and openly discuss her feelings and the causes of this decision to decide if the choice is temporary or something that she has already agreed for herself.
The important thing is to show your child that they can come to you for guidance and support without feeling attacked or misheard. Regardless of her decision, it is our duty as parents to respect their choices and support them no matter what they choose in the end.