As a mother, I’m conscious of our daughters’ physical development. Concerned would be an appropriate word. I observe them during their gymastics classes, compare them to the other children, and take notes of their weaknesses. I remember the exercises so we can practice them at home. On our living room carpet we do straddle jumps and stretches. I show them how to bend like a bridge. We practice balance, following strips on the hardwood floor.
The other morning I took five year old Abigail to a playground in our neighborhood. She wanted to hang on the monkey bars. Eager to help her practice gymnastics, I helped her grab hold and hang.
Can you do a tuck? I asked
Straddle?
Pike?
She had some trouble moving her body through the various positions. She needed strength. More practice.
I thought I’d try. I’d demonstrate.
Grabbing a bar, I pulled my body together into a tuck. I could hold it for a second or two, only about as long as my daughter could.
While trying to do a straddle, my legs hit the neighboring playstructure. There was not enough room.
I tried to do a pike. To make my legs take a 90 degree turn from my body. I couldn’t do it. I tried but my body would not bend into an “L” shape.
In that moment, I remembered how I had never excelled in athletics. Never been a gymnast. All I’d been able to do was run. In high school I had trained to race around the track and cross-country courses. But I’d never been able to bend, flex or hang.
I hung there on the bars, this thirtysomething mommy, unable to bend her body, suddenly aware of what she had been doing to her own children. I saw myself, dangling strangely, awkward and out of shape. I was weak. Lacking flexibility.
I saw the hypocrite that is me.
3 responses so far ↓
1 Gerhard Kalab // Mar 19, 2004 at 2:19 am
I only recently discovered your blog. Thank you for your writings – I’ve a great time reading it.
There’s an interesting article about Gymnastik classes here: http://www.sensoryawareness.org/hengsti.html
Gerhard Kalab — Austria
2 Julie // Mar 19, 2004 at 4:42 pm
Thanks for your comment and the link! I do believe that there is much more to developing a person than the physical strength and growth. Thanks for reading!
3 Anita Rowland // Mar 20, 2004 at 12:36 pm
when I go to Curves, I make sure to do the stretching afterwards.