A New Endeavor for Brody

There is a lot of pressure as a parent. I understand that we put this pressure on ourselves, but nonetheless, it is still there.

A new pressure for us as a parent is to get our kid "involved". Apparently, any top of the line athlete/artist/musician/celebrity/whatever started doing whatever it is they do when they were 3 or 4. So, as a parent, there is this feeling that if you want your kid to succeed and be REALLY good at anything, you need to start them early while their brains are sponges. (I know, silly, but still seems to be partly true).

*sigh*

So, we are tasked with have to try and figure out what our child will be FANTASTIC at, will LOVE, will want to do THE REST OF THEIR LIVES, when they are 3-4, at a time when I can't even figure out which hand Brody will end up using most. Even better, while we are driving home from preschool, I can't even get him to tell me what his favorite thing was that day because he has already forgotten.

So, initially, we did what it seems every parent does. We started him too young in something that he had absolutely no interest in. :) A year ago, we started Brody in soccer. It didn't go well. He wasn't ready for the structure of a game. He wasn't ready to be told that he HAD to do something. He didn't like that kids were bumping into him, and he didn't think it was fun that he couldn't ever get the ball and that the other kids kept kicking it away. I mean, what is the fun in that?

Sooo.... soccer wasn't quite right for Brody. I decided to step back, watch him, see what his personality is, see what interests him.

We have noticed that Brody likes to do things by himself. He doesn't do well when there is a lot of kids around and a lot going on. He kind of shuts down and goes off to play by himself. He especially doesn't like any contact with other kids, probably because we have told him so much how to keep personal space and not to hit or bump other kids...

Brody also loves to move. He loves to dance, shake, shimmy, walk on his toes, tumble, hang upside down, etc...

So.... our next adventure... Gymnastics! I figure this way, he can be physical without bumping into anyone, be part of a team but do his own thing, and he can get all that energy out and build strength. And anyone who knows Brody knows he is the most flexible kid I know. He literally can still be put into the fetal position. Seriously.

We enrolled him in a program that will meet every Monday evening. Initially, it is a mixed class, but when he goes off to school at 5, he will be in classes with just boys.

They have all of the same equipment that the large gym has, the even bars, uneven bars, balance beam, horse, rings, etc... but it is smaller for their little hands. :)

I think he is going to LOVE this. I will keep you posted!