What is your limit of reasonable re out of school activities?

[loopyluna]

My 7 year old does: 7.5 hours of gymnastics, 1 hour swimming, 1 hour singing and 2 hours clarinet!

I find this borders on the unreasonable but she loves all of these activities and rarely shows signs of tiredness. Everything is done in the week so weekends are chill out time. She spends most of her free time practising her gymnastics so obviously she doesn't think she does too much!
My gut feeling is that she is fine -happy, healthy, balanced. I was told by a school mum friend that she would never allow her DD to do so much sport for fear of stunting her growth! I brushed her comment off but now am fretting that maybe I should try to cut back on something?

If she's happy and energetic and gets up in the morning okay I can't see a problem.

She obviously loves the gymnastics.

Good for her and good for you I'd say. (Stunt her growth sounds like nonsense.)

I feel exhausted reading that list! But if she's not tired, and enjoys them all, then I say make the most of her youth... The social skills alone will be worth it - taking instructions, discipline, mixing with others are all good qualities that she will pick up :-)

Stunting her growth is total nonsense. You know your own DC and what you can afford and what you and they can cope with. Go with your own judgement. Some children would struggle with that lot - yours doesn't! Some people couldn't afford that lot - you can (or so I assume), some parents wouldn't have the energy/ time to do all that running round - you do. There's your answer

Gymnasts do usually have small compact bodies that's not a bad thing. Sounds fine to me, we do 1 hour gymnastics, 2 hours of ballet, 30 mons of swimming and 30 mins drama. We also keep weekends free. Sounds like your daughter is a budding gymnast

I'm starting to worry that my 5.5 yo does to much, but as with your dd she loves it all and doesn't get over tired by it. I think something might have to go if her homework from school increases though.

I think it's ok, as long as her body has time to rest between sessions - I think I'd rather spread it out a bit through the week if I were you though. DD does 3.5 hours of dancing a week, and would love to do more, but at 8, I think she needs a break to do other stuff as well. She does another hour of gymnastics, an hour of choir and then she goes to brownies. She'd happily add more but I play taxi driver quite often enough!!

I think the other thing that influences it is the impact on the rest of family life. If you have an only child, then it's a different scenario from if 2 younger ones are being dragged from one 'sitting on the side to wait' to another, or, if you are trying to fit in all those hours for each of 3 dc.

My six year old does 7 hours of gymnastics (plus other activities), and that will only increase as they grow more advanced.
If they're happy, and you don't mind, it's perfectly fine.

I'm sure it won't stunt her growth, but DD1, and many of her friends who do a similar (or more) number of hours in a different sport have shoulder, hip or knee problems requiring physio, even at the age of 11/12/13. They were all told it wasn't that there was anything inherently wrong, but that they were over doing it. That might be something to watch out for, though her coach is probably well aware already.

Stunting growth sounds like nonsense!

www.theguardian.com/sport/2005/dec/04/features.sport19

That article doesn't provide conclusive proof about the 'stunting growth' claim,as it states itself (unless you're linking for general impact of gymnastics).

Also would add (going back to the article) that monozygotic twins can be different heights (and weights) anyway.

I think sports in general change your body shape,'stunting growth' seems like an unhelpful term and as you said there is no conclusive proof

Thanks. I do think it depends on the child. DD is my third. My 13 year old played half a football match yesterday and had to have a lie down after! My 11 year old does a lot of gymnastics too, plus the singing but has too much homework to take anything else on.

I'm exhausted just driving the DC around but DH is totally hyper so she probably gets it from him!

Will have a look at the link.

Woah, that article is a bit scary! Very interesting though.

I am really conscious that both my DDs need to eat well to make up for the calories they burn off at gym and try to make sure they eat well. Their coach is very strict on them not missing snacks etc too.

The pain thing is true too -my 7 year old actually broke her arm badly doing a handspring last year and the pain of missing class seemed worse than the actual pain. She even went to classes with her cast on so she could watch the others train!

My 11 year old has always been v skinny but is not small and I think she would be the same without the gymnastics. She is actually jealous of DD2's more stocky, muscular build as she is more powerful on bars and vault.

There are identical twins (12) in DDs' club. One trains 9 hours a week, one does 25 hours! For the moment, no height different but the "better" twin has amazing arm and leg muscles. Will keep an eye on their development!

that would be too much for us, but if it's working for you then it's fine, surely?

My 5 year old has just started Reception. She's doing a dance class on a Saturday morning and a half hour swimming lesson after school. That's all. I've looked at Rainbows, gymnastics, piano lessons but for now we're leaving things as is. She's crashing out at 7pm and is exhausted after school. We get home at 4pm, so that leaves 3 hours to play with her little brother, have some time with me, do whatever reading the teacher has set, dinner, bath, bedtime story with Daddy. It doesn't feel like a lot of time, espeically for my 2.5 year old who is really missing having her around.

It's whatever suits, surely? As long as your DD's coach watches out for injuries it should be fine. 7.5 hours is not 25 hours after all.

FWIW my DDs couldn't do out of school activities until last year, when they were old enough not to need after school childcare. DD1 has made the most of the possibilities and is on the girls' netball, basketball and football team as well as drama club. DD2 has tried a few things but not settled to anything. Both are fine, both are very fit and healthy (DD2 is 10 and still runs around like a look at play time so gets plenty of exercise).

As long as your DD has the energy to cope with schoolwork/homework and is getting a reasonable amount of sleep, there isn't a problem.

I think with gymnastics, you have got to be dedicated because it is only going to get one hell of a lot worse yet.

DD1 (9) does 18 hours a week term time and more in the holidays. That's three school nights and both mornings at the weekend. On top of that, she dances (1 hour group lesson, half hour private lesson) and learns the flute (in school).

DD2 (6) does 8.5 hours of gym, 1.5 hours of dancing and learns the violin (again in school).

Thankfully, DD2s gym classes fit within DD1s.

Sometimes I hate it. Especially over the summer when she was doing 24 hours a week. I felt it ruined my summer tbh. But DD is extremely committed to it, and it is her passion, her reason for living. DD2 knows no different. I think you have to embrace the hours or you do end up resenting it. I have met a great bunch of mums through gymnastics, and we often go for coffee together when the girls are training, did playdates in the summer and so on.

If your daughter is coping fine, then I'd continue as normal. As your daughter progresses and the gymnastics become more consuming and more dangerous, I think it is good for them to have a hobby that is just for fun. DD has to work at gym. Its hard and she makes a lot of sacrifices for it. If she didn't have her dancing, she wouldn't have anything that she just did for fun. I also think that as gym gets more complex, it becomes more dangerous (DD is currently recovering from a fracture she really sustained in gym) I'm conscious that they're only ever one nasty fall away from their gym life being over. If my DD only had the gym, and she couldn't do that because of a nasty fall (and believe me, I've seen a few really nasty falls at comps etc) then that would be her whole life over. At least by letting DD have a second hobby just for fun, she'd have something to fall back on if that happened. Although, I've always thought this, my DD had her second fracture this year. We may be coming to a point when she has to make choices about her gymnastics. I am glad that if she ever has to choose not to do it competitively anymore, she has got a life outside of the gym.

Oh, and her height / weight thing is perfectly fine. she has a six pack to die for, and really chunky shoulders, but she is by no means underweight. Most of her gym friends are the same. They're not big girls, but they're not starved either.

Sorry, for the long post but the last thing I'd say is that you really have to get a tough skin and ignore the people outside of the gym world. I've had lots of mums criticise me for my DDs gym hours, making snidey remarks like I'm some kind of pushy mother. I actually don't mind whether she does gym or not. I'd be quite happy if she gave up. Its DD who wants to do it, not me. People in the gym world understand the hours, the commitment etc. But because it is such a young girls sport and so hard to learn the tricks, the hours have to be intense. People outside of gym often think that your daughter is just doing a few handstands and maybe a cartwheel (I know people think that of my daughter!) They just don't get it, and you have to accept that.

Sorry, that was a bit of a ramble .

lade -thanks so much for rambling! I totally understand -it seems like gym is addictive and contagious! (I tried to get DD2 interested in dancing rather than have her follow her sister to gym but at 6 she stopped humouring me and insisted on starting gym. DD1's coach picked her out for the elite group straight away and that was it. No turning back now.)

My two both do full days in the summer too -9-5.30, 3 days a week. They love it. The non gym days we go to the pool as I think it probably relaxes their muscles and helps them chill. You have a good point about the extra, non-gym activities. DD1 does love her singing and DD2 has plenty to choose from with singing, clarinet and swimming (though I want to keep the swimming non competitive.)

Good to hear from another "gym mum". We don't live near our club so I don't know many gym mums there. They train 5.30-8.30 evenings so it's a drop off, dash home, quick pick up and dash back for showers and food!

I'm watching this with interest. My dd (3.4) does 3hrs of dance a week and I've been criticised for letting her, but she is very happy doing it. I've no intention on adding any more lessons till she has started and settled into reception next year as I know her energy levels will change dramatically.

DD1 (teen) piano, Guides as a Young Leader, Senior Section, 3 dance classes plus stays late at school 4 times a week (one sporting, 3 academic activities) and a voluntary job that is usually one evening per fortnight.

DD2 (tween) football, drama, dance and swimming

Our limits are based on their enthusiasm and our finances! DD1 is a 'joiner' and very committed to everything she takes up. DD2 is more fairweather and does whine sometimes, but enjoys it when she gets there.

DD1 has actually dropped a couple of activities recently to concentrate on school work but she's a little star who works hard, prioritises school, and is doing really well. DH says our role is to drive and pay!