to not let daughter do cheerleading?

[undercoverfunster]

Am I BU? She's 8, school have a cheerleading club once a week. ( they don't actually cheer a team, just learn routines) Some of the 'cool' girls do it, so now she wants to. I think it's pointless, sexist and outdated. And the 'cool' girls are also the not-very-nice ones in her year, who make fun of her for being in the football team.

She''s a VERY active kid, plays football and tennis competitively, swims, runs, plays basketball. All of which she loves so doesn't need the exercise.

She has tried various 'girls' activities over the years ( to try to keep in with the 'cool' girls) but gets bored of them quickly ( dance, gymnastics, musical theatre, ballet, netball).

I just think cheerleading is shite! And sends the wrong message to girls - don't cheer for the team be IN the bloody team.
And I sure a heck don't want her quitting something useful to try it for 2 months and get bored...

'Many people do pole dancing for exercise, couldn’t you look at this the same?'
OMG! I DO NOT want my 8 year old daughter bloody pole dancing!!! That's the worst analogy you could have used!!!

How is your DD playing football if there isn't a girls team?

Cheerleading's popularity does mostly come from USA high school american football games. It's their national obsession, but I highly doubt you'd want your daughter to be in the team for that...

I thought the same as you but then saw a programme on Netflix about the Great White Sharks who are a Canadian squad and I changed my mind. I’ve also seen mixed squads in the US who are all essentially gymnasts. So no to Pom poms and rah rah rah go team!!! And yes to tumbling and gymnastics.

Ignore me, I've just seen she plays football outside of school!

I wouldn't let my DD do it. No fucking way.

She will be in the team though, the cheer team.

You've already said they're not actually cheering anyone, so basically it's fancy gymnastics but teaching them to work together. Can't see anything wrong with that personally.

How is your DD playing football if there isn't a girls team?

She's playing outside of school, obvs... in an academy.

What's wrong with pom poms, they are fun. We've used them in mixed boys & girls dance classes.

I personally am against banning any activity for either sex. Cheer dance looks fun.

There is no way my daughter would be allowed to do cheerleading either.
It's an awful, sexist concept!
I'm with you OP!

Traditional cheerleading is awful and outdated, but what your DD wants to do just sounds like fun and not sexist unless somehow discriminatory.

It doesn’t matter if what our children want to do as a club/pastime interests us; surely it’s great that they want to be out and about doing things they enjoy?

A friend of mine (we’re 51) told me he still bore a grudge against his father for not supporting him to play rugby as a child.. it fell by the wayside and he had to give it up. The reason was that his dad was a football man and disappointed in his son that he didn’t play football.

I’d support it if I were you.

Given there is no actual team to cheer for it's just dance. As for "don't cheer for the team be IN the bloody team" she is in a team. Not everyone can be in a team anyway.

Mmm, maybe it will make for some fun childhood photos for when she's playing in the women's world cup...

Given that cheer at a competitive level is both single sex and co-ed I think you're being way over the top.
Once they get a bit older the level of strength, conditioning and agility required is comparable to gymnastics, dance and other sports.

I have a feeling this is going to become another one of those threads where people who've never done a sport decide that it's totally inappropriate.

My daughter did a cheerleading club last year. They didn't actually do cheers or cheer for a team - they were the team. There were boys in the squad too.

It involves a lot of difficult lifts - gymnastic skills like cartwheels etc. and learning timing and a routine. They did a display at the summer fayre. It was great! It's no different to dance or gymnastics.

It's an awful, sexist concept!

George W. Bush didn't seem to have any problems ... And I refer you to that BBC Ident.

Could it be sexist in your head ?

I sort of agree with you, but i think if they changed the name cheerleading could be seen just like gymnastics.

If she wants to do it I would let her.

Ask her why she wants to join?

If she says, because it looks fun - let her try
If she indicates that it's more about being around the cool girls than the activity, see if you can persuade her to be more true to herself.

Well done her on her football scouting that's fantastic, she must be very talented!

Surprised her school doesn't have a girls team as it is so popular now, what a shame. Glad she's accessing the sport outside of school.

I think aside from the reeervations about the content, if she is as promising as I suspect she is at football (based on the scouting) then I'd be reluctant to add too many more physical activities at this stage as the commitment to footie will likely grow and take up a lot of time.

I appreciate doing more than one physical activities are can develop transferable skills between them but she's still so little I would be hesitant to add more onto her plate at the moment. It might spread her too thin and leave her exhausted.

If she's happy with footie I would focus on that for now when it comes to physical activities.

Again, congrats on her scouting!

My friends DD did cheerleading and it was excellent exercise. I think it has a stigma attached to it that isn't really deserved.

I think YABU. It's her choice, isn't it? She can always quit if she doesn't like it.

eu.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2018/08/09/nfl-cheerleading-sexist-demeaning-women-reform-end-column/897735002/

So would I rather my DD be the next Lucy Bronze or Megan Rapinoe or should she aim for the pinnacle of competitive cheer, the NFL?? [wink}

Disclaimer - I know that she's unlikely to be either... though Bronze is currently looking more likely...

My dd does it...there's boys in the club too. It's more a mix of dancing and gymnastics. She enjoys it...I don't think of it much beyond that.

It’s not like it was years ago and you’re very old fashioned in your thinking. I’d let her

If she didn’t like dance and gymnastics, she probably won’t like it anyway. YABU to stop her, although I would be a bit concerned about her wanting to fit in with the not so nice cool girls.

My dd12 plays on the boys football and hurling teams for her club as well as the girls in school. She also plays for the girls in her club so she has training or matches every evening and at the weekends. If she wanted to join a cheer leading group then that is what she would do. I can't see her wanting to shake a set of pom poms but if she did I would go along with it.

I think regardless of your thoughts of cheerleading, a kid who didn’t enjoy gymnastics or dance is not going to enjoy cheerleading of any kind. It just doesn’t sound like her jam.