DD just turned 11 on Sunday, She will be in 6th grade in the fall. She is very artistic (her talent and passion), but is having a hard time finding a physical activity that she can do going into high school and middle school. She has tried t-ball, soccer, dance class, gymnastics, tumbling, and cheer. I was a basketball player and have tried to teach her how to play basketball. She likes to swim.
I am struggling with what to do next with her. She does competitive cheer from Aug-Dec every year, and she likes it. She does not LOVE it. She needs to do more tumbling if she wants to try out for cheer in high school, but she goes to tumbling class and comes out in tears because she hit a plateau last year, stopped trying, and everyone else her age has progressed. Now she is embarrassed that she does not have the tumbling skills everyone else has. Yet she still refuses to try harder. She has been doing this sport since she was in 1st grade, and although she picks up choreography and does well in the routine, she doesn't stand out - because SHE doesn't want to.
OK, so maybe she is done with cheer, right? I told her she doesn't have to do it anymore, but she says she wants to. She really does like some parts of it....especially the performances.
Dance has been hit or miss...she was never really in it long enough or spent enough time to really get good at it. A few classes every other year or so. But they don't offer dance as a sport in HS anyway.
She hated t-ball and has no interest in softball. Same with soccer. She loves her swim lessons, but keeps saying she doesn't want to be on a team. Same with basketball. She enjoys shooting around, but by 6th grade, most girls who are going to "move on" in the sport have played since they were little in our feeder league (our high school is a HUGE basketball school...we send kids to D1 colleges every year), so the girls have to try out for the team. Unless you have been on the travel feeder teams, a new kid to the sport has little chance.
What else is there???!! She is very competitive and always needs to be the BEST, or she will shut down and not try. We have tried the "who cares what anyone thinks, just do your best" talks and got nowhere. She thinks everyone is staring at her. Funny, though, that she is the loudest cheerleader on our team, and has no problem performing in stadiums, in front of her team, at competitions in arenas, etc. But god forbid she misses a shot at the park in front of someone she knows from school!
So, any experience in starting a new sport/team at this "late" age? I was kind of thinking tennis or golf....and DH says we need to push her to try out for the swim team. She is so built for swimming: long lean legs and arms, strong shoulders, the works. But again, most of the kids have been on a swim team for years by this age.
Some people may ask why this is so important? The reason is, DD can be very reserved and introverted. I see it getting worse as she gets older. I want her to stay involved in school and school activities because it is proven that kids who are invested in their school do better and have a better time while they are going there. I want her to have fun and enjoy her teen years, not be the one who hates school and cannot wait to leave it. I'm sure she will be involved with the art program and other creative outlets, but it is also important to be physically healthy and get a lot of exercise too, which is hard to do if you are not playing a sport.
ETA: The bolded above initially said "Mandate" - a poster called that out as a concern. I have changed it to push her, for reasons stated in my below response.
I am struggling with what to do next with her. She does competitive cheer from Aug-Dec every year, and she likes it. She does not LOVE it. She needs to do more tumbling if she wants to try out for cheer in high school, but she goes to tumbling class and comes out in tears because she hit a plateau last year, stopped trying, and everyone else her age has progressed. Now she is embarrassed that she does not have the tumbling skills everyone else has. Yet she still refuses to try harder. She has been doing this sport since she was in 1st grade, and although she picks up choreography and does well in the routine, she doesn't stand out - because SHE doesn't want to.
OK, so maybe she is done with cheer, right? I told her she doesn't have to do it anymore, but she says she wants to. She really does like some parts of it....especially the performances.
Dance has been hit or miss...she was never really in it long enough or spent enough time to really get good at it. A few classes every other year or so. But they don't offer dance as a sport in HS anyway.
She hated t-ball and has no interest in softball. Same with soccer. She loves her swim lessons, but keeps saying she doesn't want to be on a team. Same with basketball. She enjoys shooting around, but by 6th grade, most girls who are going to "move on" in the sport have played since they were little in our feeder league (our high school is a HUGE basketball school...we send kids to D1 colleges every year), so the girls have to try out for the team. Unless you have been on the travel feeder teams, a new kid to the sport has little chance.
What else is there???!! She is very competitive and always needs to be the BEST, or she will shut down and not try. We have tried the "who cares what anyone thinks, just do your best" talks and got nowhere. She thinks everyone is staring at her. Funny, though, that she is the loudest cheerleader on our team, and has no problem performing in stadiums, in front of her team, at competitions in arenas, etc. But god forbid she misses a shot at the park in front of someone she knows from school!
So, any experience in starting a new sport/team at this "late" age? I was kind of thinking tennis or golf....and DH says we need to push her to try out for the swim team. She is so built for swimming: long lean legs and arms, strong shoulders, the works. But again, most of the kids have been on a swim team for years by this age.
Some people may ask why this is so important? The reason is, DD can be very reserved and introverted. I see it getting worse as she gets older. I want her to stay involved in school and school activities because it is proven that kids who are invested in their school do better and have a better time while they are going there. I want her to have fun and enjoy her teen years, not be the one who hates school and cannot wait to leave it. I'm sure she will be involved with the art program and other creative outlets, but it is also important to be physically healthy and get a lot of exercise too, which is hard to do if you are not playing a sport.
ETA: The bolded above initially said "Mandate" - a poster called that out as a concern. I have changed it to push her, for reasons stated in my below response.
Last edited:
