The Olympian

Bubba was very excited about his first gymnastics class. As we drove, I gave him the rules of gymnastics, which were:

• No crying
• No screaming
• No lambie

He agreed and understood that these were terms for dismissal, so when we arrived I expected everything to go rather smoothly. I pulled into the parking lot to find it packed like a can of sardines and entering the gym wasn't much better. Looking out on the gym floor was like watching an anthill that had just been disturbed. There were children, parents, and coaches everywhere, and I immediately realized we might have a problem.

Bubba doesn't do crowds, and he doesn't do loud chaotic noise. Anticipating the potential issues that may arise, I ran up the stairs, tackling 2 at a time, with Bubba in tow. We were out of the immediate craziness but there was still the noise. I watched as he took it all in and clung to me like a baby monkey. Then it came.

"Go home!" he whined in my ear. "No baby, we can't go home. We have gymnastics!" I said. "No! GO HOME!" he yelled. "Remember our rules. No screaming or we will have to leave!" I said and immediately realized how dumb that was! Bubba begins to scream at the top of his lungs. Who could blame him? He wanted to go home, and I had just told him that screaming was a ticket home. I rushed over to a corner, put him down, and began to speak.

First I said "Don't make me call your daddy!" (which sometimes works but not this time). Then I said "Baby goes to gymnastics here every week and she has fun. I know you will like it. Just please try." "No, no, no!" he screamed. "Just try it, and, if you don't like it, we will go. I promise!" This was my last ditch effort, and I knew if he just got started he would love it. He looked at me and said "Elevator." "What?" "Elevator?" And I knew I had him! He anxiety about the crowds stopped when he noticed the elevator behind me, and, with that, the gym door opened for us to go in.

I wish I had photos of my little man stretching, flipping, and swinging. He absolutely loved it! He liked it so much, in fact, that he followed EVERY direction the coach gave. He did forward flips like a pro and jumped on the trampoline in much the same way. He attempted a cartwheel and crawled through the tunnel. He walked on the balance beams with NO help and even stepped over obstacles while maintaining his balance. He jumped right on the uneven bars, held himself up, and flipped over. Then he quickly moved to the rings (his fav), swung by his hands, and placed his feet inside, before dropping to the ground (which is why I think they were his favorite). He had so much fun I had to drag him out of there at the end!

When we got home he had a snack and went to bed. I think he was actually asleep before he made it into his room. After he was tucked in I said to Evander, "He can be in the Olympics, right?" "Why not?" Evander asked. "Because he was born in another country," I replied. "But he is a US citizen." Evander said. With that, I was satisfied!