The Happy Homemaker

I took Victoria to gymnastics class full of excitement. We had just read a gymnastics book together the night before. Victoria got reay an hour in advance and kept asking me if it was time to go to gymnastics yet.

We get there and watch one of her classmates practice. Her classmate was preparing for a tournament at the end of February. I watched the little girl practice and was amazed. Victoria went out to the gym to begin practice and I began to imagine her in a gymnastics competition tumbling and leaping gracefully like her classmate did. I even smiled with pride as I watched Victoria warm up. She pointed her toes and did a wonderful backbend.

Then while the girls were working on strength exercises, I noticed that Victoria was crying. I was immediately snatched out of my dream world. I wondered what was wrong. Did she get into trouble? Did she get hurt? She continued to practice but would not stop crying.

Finally, she left the practice in tears saying that gymnastics was too hard and that she didn’t want to do it anymore. I tried my hardest to talk her back into finishing her class. If she doesn’t want to be a world class gymnast that is fine. I just want her to at least finish taking the classes I paid for. I told her to finish what she started. She gave up and refused to finish the practice. I have never seen Victoria like that before. Maybe she didn’t eat enough? Maybe it is the stress of having Aziz gone? She always acts weird when Aziz leaves.

So we left and I felt like I was having an anxiety attack. I kept my own advice and refused to give up. I held my emotions for my daughter’s sake and then told her that she was not in trouble and that the gymnastics coach was not mad at her. I told her that girls get tired and cry all of the time and that this is normal.

I want my daughter to reach her dreams, but I will not pressure her too much.