Samantha was in gymnastics when she was 1 year old. She mostly ran around but did love jumping on the trampoline, and flying through the air on the swing. It was a mom and me class. It was fun but when they went to the floor exercises she wouldn't listen. We did this for a semester and with being a new mom I just didn't realize that this is normal! Looking back I should have keep her in class and stuck with it. I don't have any pictures of that time because our computer crashed and we had to reformat. We tried to put her in something again when she was 2 1/2 years old with a combo class ballet, tumbling, and tap. This was a nightmare! LOL..She really wasn't listening and everyone was getting frusterated. Though, she looked really cute in the ballet outfit. Ha! So Tap and Ballet were like torture, but she did like the tumbling class. She is now a little over 3 1/2 years and we are trying to get her involved in something again. I feel like if you don't have some sort of thing to do..a hobby, you get bored and get into trouble. When my sister and I were little, we were in a combo class along with this we played soccer. It gave us something to do. I look around at all the kids who aren't in something and feel bad for the kids. It's like the parents spend their money on themselves instead of providing opportunities for their kids, the kids are there just basically living in the parent's life. THIS makes me sad! Because of this I have felt guilty with not having her in something but on the other hand she had disrupted class by running in and out, and just being young and not knowing.
With this being said:
A couple of months ago, we received a mailer that a new gym was opening in August. I jumped on the phone and made the phone call and got information about this new gym. I was thinking hmmm this may be interesting, it's a little more expensive than the other classes I have had her in. That worried me. But my biggest fear was repeating her behavior from her last combo class. I didn't know if I could handle that again. But with not wanting to be "those parents who don't put their kids in anything because of selfishness," I enrolled her! I took the leap of Faith then started praying. Please God, don't let us have a repeat of last time." and kept praying and praying this.
God is amazing and will answer even the smallest of prayers, if you pray in Faith that He will answer. This is a great lesson to anyone. God gives you situations so that you will need Him. So that you will be constantly on your knees talking to Him and letting Him reveal His plan to you. I have found this to be true this past year with being involved in church and forming a relationship with Him.
So we found this new gym, The Little Gym of Lubbock, it is AMAZING! The best answer to a small prayer, I prayed over and over!
Best part this gymt is just not in Lubbock, look for The Little Gym in your town.
Here's what happened. We walk in and I am honestly am about to throw up because of past exeriences with Sami being HORRIBLE. She is looking around and the owner/staff are coming up to her and talking to her. They take her to take her shoes off and get them in a her cubby. Then they lead her over to go inside the gym. We (the parents) have a seating area or viewing area. She starts to struggle away..I am thinking "Oh No! Here we go again!" *SIGH*...BUT NOPE she stopped and walked in with her teacher! WHAT! There were 4 sweet children in her class Thursday. 2 boys and 2 girls. Sami stayed with the teacher and listened, fully participating in class!! I about passed out! LOL I was soo excited. But the cool thing about this gym is they have curriculum each week. Last week was safety..they worked on becoming safe gymnasts. They started on the floor mats with the instructor learning how to be safe. Another staff member came up and talked to the parents telling us what is going on! They use all positive encouragement as "punishment" if you want to look at it..sorta reverse psychology..LOVE IT! For example, say the boys didn't want to do the mat exercise they were all into the bars and trampoline. So the teacher would say " X whenever you are ready to come back to class, we would love for you to come back..Thanks Sami and Y for staying with your teacher! (as she is giving them Hi-Fives) Then after class the teacher went around and talked to each parent about the awesomeness of their child. At one point in class, Shane and another father got up and opened the classroom door and told the kids to go back to the teacher..LOL The owner came over and repremanded the dads for doing that..He said that the gym has no expecations for the little one and that they will follow but that they don't encourage the kids like that but only with positive enforcement. LOVE LOVE IT...
Here are some pictures from class..please excuse the quality of pictures because we were in a glass area so I am taking the picture through glass that has a relection of more glass and the parking lot. /:
Here Sami is practicing her falls...if they fall off the bars, they are suppose to roll backwards, so they don't get hurt.
This picture is funny because the sweet teacher (in orange) and the girls were the only ones participating so the guy (JD aka the owner) stepped in to help make the parachute activity work. Amazing team work from the staff. I love that he is not afraid to step in.
How cute are the kids here. Behind them is the A-frame bar, I wish I had gotten pictures of them on that but this will have to work.
Last picture. This little guy kept running up to the window and growling at us! So cute!
God is soo amazing to not only answer a small prayer but to answer many worries I had and hand us this amazing place where Sami can grow and be herself. As well as giving Shane and I the place to know that it's ok for them to run and not participate. Where it's encourage so they will try things at their own pace. God is wonderful. I thank Him for this opportunity for Samantha to have fun and get involved with Gymnastics. And for kepting things just normal enough to where we will always have a relationship with Him. I say this because if things are always perfect then we wouldn't need God. Think about what would happen if we didn't drop to our knees to ask Him to figure things out for us. God wants us to have that special relationship with Him. He wants us to run to Him whether it's in good times or the craziness of just daily life!
I challenge you this week to test this theory out. Say a small prayer in Faith and see how God answers your prayer. Remember it may be longer than a week for God to return your answer but He always does. Then step back and ask yourself why He asnwered the way He did. (He's revealing His Plan for you)
Have an amazing week and open your minds and hearts to listen to what God has in plan for your lives.
Obeying & Spreading His Awesomness!
Patty
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