DD has a talent? DH doesn't want to encourage it too much - Am I projecting onto her?

[Spagblog]

DD (age 6) is a good swimmer. She recently started up with a local club and they have spotted how good she is.

They asked if I would be interested in her being put forward for selection into "Rookies". This would entail her doing 1-2hrs additional training on top of her normal lesson.

I am so proud of her, especially as I was once a competitive swimmer myself - but without her effortless ability.

DH doesn't want her to become a competitive swimmer, he thinks it takes away their childhood and you burn out quickly.
I think that she ought to be encouraged.

DD is nonplussed and says she likes swimming, but likes gymnastics more as she can win things.

Well, it's a long way from where she is now to beign a serious competitive swimmer. You should gently encourage her, but don't go overboard about it. If she doesn't like it, stop.

Does she want to try out for "Rookies"?

If so, it might be worth giving it ago.

Maybe negotiate with DH that if she gets into the group, she can try it until Christmas, and then re-evaluate the situation.

I don't think you're necessarily projecting, btw.
It's nice when your child shows aptitude for something that you yourself love.
If you had her down at the pool by 6am every morning, that would be a different matter.

I thnk it's ok if you're going at your own pace. I agree to some extent with your dh, that focussing on one thing and doing it all the time could potentially take away a lot of your childhood.

if she wants to do it then great. if not then don't push it

I said to the teachers (because DH was with me) that we would wait for a bit as I worry that DD might not be ready for it yet.

She wants to try it, because they teach diving.

I guess I am worried that if this doesn't work out for her it might put her off.

Honest opinion? For me, six is too young to be doing any sport for any reason other than enjoyment. Two hours training is a lot for such a young child, and training is by its very nature often much less enjoyable than simply swimming for the sake of it.

In your shoes I would be wanting my daughter to do these things purely for the childish joy of doing them - something which she may lose if she starts to train for competitive swimming. Plus I am finding my seven year old is knackered enough at the end of a long school week as it is without adding training into the equation. Just being a kid is all I would want from her right now; there's plenty of time to take a serious interest in swimming when she's a bit older if she wants to.

If she wanted desperately to do it then that would be a different question. But it doesn't sound as if she does.

I was a swimmer, although I was more of a plodder than anything else! I highly recommend it. Obviously not all swimmers can reach the top but I think it teaches all sorts of other valuable things.

We had regular competitions and meets which encouraged team-spirit, competitiveness and for the older ones, responsibility. Later in my "career" I diversified into swimming teaching, lifeguarding (great for teens) and water polo. We even did sea swims in the summer.

I must add that during my teens most of my schoolfriends were occupied in the evening with hanging out around the park. I was always involved in some sort of swimming activity, whether it was training, teaching, playing water polo or timing competitions. I never did the hanging around the streets thing and I wouldn't change my club swimming experience at all.

When DS is a little older I shall definitely take him along to a club to see if he likes it. I'd be happy if he had the same sort of experience as I did.

llareggub - sounds like my childhood. I loved it too.

Ahhh, what will be will be I guess.

Thanks for all the advice and opinions.

Ooh, I can see both sides here. Really serious competitive swimmers do miss out on a lot of other things - they have to train so hard it inevitably works to the exclusion of virtually everything else & very very few of them make it right to the very top or can actually make a career out of swimming. However, joining 'Rookies' is hardly that level of commitment yet and your daughter could well gain a lot from swimming competitively but not too seriously. She sounds like a well balanced child who enjoys other things too, so if she wants to do it AND can without sacrificing other stuff she wants to then why not?