I like to think I am an optimistic person. I realize how lucky I am to have this life with my sweet family & truly, very few days go by that I don’t look back on with a smile on my face. Yet I like to be honest & real too, we are definitely not perfect & have our issues like anyone else. Motherhood is by far the best thing that has ever happened to me, but it certainly comes with its challenges & recently, I had to face one of those.
Ever since Waverly was 6 months old, we have had her enrolled in a MyGym in our area. She has pretty much gone to classes once a week since then, it’s basically one hour of mommy & me playtime with other kids her age. Even though it’s pretty expensive, I have always felt strongly about it. During the week, my mom mostly watches Waverly & our other babysitter has only one other child there, plus I was the first of my close friends to become a mom. So needless to say, the majority of her social interaction with someone her size is with our dog, so having her with other little ones is really important to me.
We have always looked forward to our classes each week, Waverly for obvious reasons & for me, I really savored the opportunity to have an hour of un-interrupted Waverly time. Our days there were free of distractions & were truly all about her doing something she loved. I honestly assumed we would go there until she officially exceeded the age limit, & might even have considered asking them to allow us to stay until she graduated high school.
I think she would have been down for it.
And then we got a slap in the face. Literally. Waverly (out of nowhere) started hitting, at first just me & her dad were the lucky ones, & then the kids in her class at MyGym got to join in on the fun, too. I of course was mortified, could not understand where my sweet girl learned her new move or why on earth she would use it. After reading any website I could find, every one of my baby books & finally meeting with my pediatrician, we decided that this really is more common than we thought & the best way to approach it is to tell her no, & gently grab her hands.
So that’s what we did, time & time again & for the most part, it worked. Except for at MyGym. For whatever reason, if I left her within 5 feet of another kid, she would hit them. In her defense (not that she needs any defending, clearly I am the one who does! ;)), she would then try to hug them after & I really don’t think she knew what she was doing, but it obviously couldn’t continue. After a couple of weeks of acting as her bodyguard & standing over her nervous for the entire 60 minutes, I ultimately decided to put our membership on a freeze. For whatever reason, Waverly was acting out there & instead of dreading our class every week (& leaving feeling completely defeated), it was time for a change.
I really didn’t want to give up on a weekly activity for the two of us & was determined to make something happen. I knew Waverly really did love an active environment & almost felt that she needed one more active (yep, my child). So in the end, we decided to try gymnastics, also a mommy & me that meets once a week. The price was about the same & I knew there would be a giant trampoline along with a bouncy floor, so it seemed like a no-brainer.
I really can’t put into words how much Waverly loves her gymnastics class. We have now been four times & it has definitely become one of the highlights of our week. She has so much fun, burns a ton of energy, & is completely exhausted every time. It is too perfect for her.
There are about four other kids in her class, all around her age, & obviously, there are multiple times she is very close to them. I try to keep my cool & not freak out, but for our first couple of classes, I was totally nervous she would haul off & hit one of them, all while making our new presence in the class very well known. Despite my fears, Waverly hasn’t even so much as tried. She is too busy working on her new gymnastics skills which, by the way, she prefers to complete entirely on her own.
I do plan to eventually take Waverly back to MyGym, I really think it was a phase & that we were meant to be somewhere else right now. I have always felt that most of life’s challenges come with lessons & this has never been more true than as a parent. I admit that I completely felt embarrassed in front of the other moms when Waverly was acting out, that I shed tears on the way home more than once because I just couldn’t understand why she was the only one who acted like that. Yet in the end, it really didn’t matter what they thought, she is her own person with her own “little things” (most so very positive & a few challenging), but it’s my job to figure them all out. It’s not always going to be easy, but it will always be worth it. I mean, when I look at her sweet face, how could it not?!
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Thanks again & HAPPY, happy Wednesday to all of you.
I love this so much, Ashley! Obviously, I'm sorry that you had to deal with an unpleasant phase like that, but I think you handled it PERFECTLY. These pictures are so precious! I know what you mean about feeling that it's so important for her to be around other kids her age…it's something that's weighing heavily on me. Sadie adores other children but living where we do, there just aren't many options for activities like this. Driving an hour each way, once a week, to go somewhere for a class isn't always the most practical thing to but I really feel like I NEED to get her involved in something. This is a good motivator to make me look harder and see if I can't find something that she would enjoy but that won't require a mini-road trip to attend!
xoxo
http://www.sadieskyboutique.com
She looks so so so happy at gymnastics! I'm so glad you found something that worked for her and that a change in routine did the trick! We are starting a gymnastics class next Tuesday and I can't wait! So glad to hear a positive review for gymnastics at this age. 🙂
Those gymnastics pictures are PRECIOUS!!! I love her shorts!
The concentration on her face on the beam is too cute, she is so sweet in her little bodysuit and shorts!
Oh my gosh, she is just too cute in her gymnastics gear! She looks so grown up on the balance beam! I feel for you and the hitting. It's so hard to explain that hitting and biting and even kissing other little kids is not allowed. They often don't know how to express their feelings to other little kids. Good luck 🙂
I can't even imagine how defeated you must have felt!! But seeing how giddy she is in gymnastics class seems to make up for it, right? If she wouldn't have gone through the hitting – you wouldn't have tried it out! So it all worked out in the end!! She looks so happy!! <3
These pictures are amazing! I think that it is so great that you keep her active like that. I do remember the hitting phase, but it didn't last very long at all. She still does it once on a blue moon and we just have to sternly tell her not to do it because hitting is not nice.
She is rocking that outfit! LOVE.
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Girl, you are NOT alone…there was a period of time where I flinched every time Cam went near another baby – especially someone smaller than him. We went from biting to hitting, and I think they were just acts of love, but he didn't know they hurt! We tried "time out" when he hit, and it didn't work at all, so we just started holding his hands together and saying "no hitting" and it's gotten better. I am so glad you found a class that she loves just as much!! I want to put Cam in a gymnastics type class…we do a music class right now, but it's a little too mellow for our little ball of energy!! Haha
Happy Wednesday 🙂 xo
She looks absolutely adorable in her gymnastics outfit! Such a little independent diva working it all by herself! I'm happy that she seemed to grow out of the hitting phase, but don't be worried. I know it happens to everyone and all 4 of my nephews went through either a bitting or hitting phase. I don't know where they get it from but I think it's something that just happens and then they move on. You are a great momma!
My friend does a gym class each week too and I've been meaning to take Marli since I know she would absolutely love it! She just discovered hitting too, but like you, I will tell her "Marli, no hitting. It hurt" and gently grab her hand. I am super proactive when she's around another baby because I know she doesn't realize what it is. Sometimes when she kisses, she tries to bite too but I know she doesn't know any better. Glad she's enjoying the gymnastics class!
Linh
http://abeautifulrawr.com
Great post! I'm thinking of switching from her Gymboree to a gymnastics class too
first of all- I've wanted to get lex in gymnastics SO BADLY! i love it. . . . so we're on the other end of the hitting! There's a little boy at my gym who follows lex around and hits her!! I have to admit- the other mom handles it so well– she tells him not to hit and grabs his hand. the only thing that stopped it- was one of the teachers who he looks up to there pulling him aside and telling him that we do not hit. . .ever. moral of the story- i (hope) none of the other parents thought twice about waverly mae hitting- especially if you were trying to DO something about it? plus its seriously SO COMMON. hello- they're kids- they don't understand these things- they're just learning!! but i love seeing missy in gymnastics!! it looks like she LOVES IT!!
Waverly is the cutest little gymnast ever!! I love her stripes and her little baby steps on the beam!! SO CUTE!!!!
Oh, poor mama. I'm sure you were just as baffled and appalled at her behavior as you were embarrassed. Toddlers are crazy! At least most other moms with toddlers get it, because I guarantee their toddler has hit them (or someone else) too. I get hit all the time – always followed by hugs and kisses, but they just can't control themselves. Smart move to switch things up for a while. Hopefully that changes the behavior and she just stops. The gymnastics photos are just too cute! Glad she likes it.
Oh my gosh, that gymnastics class looks like so much fun! Tinley would love it. I would love to get her involved in something like this one night a week! I'll have to check out our area, I'm sure there is something. We went through that hitting phase too, I think all kids do it, but I know it's so frustrating (and embarrassing!) as a parent. There is a little girl in Tinley's daycare that constantly hits her and another little girl and Tinley is very quick to tattle on her! She knows now that it's wrong. Waverly will definitely outgrow it. You are doing the right thing by just telling her no. :o) Love the post, as usual! xoxo
How sweet!!! Gymnastics sounds like the perfect activity for this age! 🙂
http://www.lovemyevie.blogspot.com
I love your honesty here. I'm glad you figured out that more activity is what Waverly needed. I love those looks of focus and determination on her face. She looks like such a little athlete. Too cute!
The Joni Journey
She is just so cute! Love the gymnastics outfit and her little pony tails!
This is my first time linking up, thank you for hosting 🙂 She is just adorable. I'm glad gymnastics worked out 🙂
I love her hair like that!!! It makes her look so grown up!!
Katie
godslittlegrace.blogspot.com
Look at that girl go! Love it. -Lauren, http://www.southpearlliving.blogspot.com
Oh my goodness is so perfection!
I can't wait to enroll my daughter into some kind of gymnastics class. Bummer that Waverly was acting that way, definitely sounds like a phase, hopefully she grows out of it soon!
Omg waverly is adorable running down the trampoline track!! So cute. I have been wanting to get a new blog design for a while. Wining this would be a blessing as our adoption expenses and my cut hours at work have taken a toll.
Oh that little girl on the balance beam!!! Precious! Watch out Olympics!
Omg she looks adorable in her cute little leotard and shorts! What a fun activity for her!
Your baby girl is absolutely adorable. God Bless Her.
Good for you for finding an alternative that works! Motherhood relies on flexibility and intuition!!
Momma to 20 month old quadruplets!!
Bellsandkilts.blogspot.com
Maybe she was trying to tell you she needed to go crazy wild for a bit!! We just signed up for soccer and what sold me was they get to wear little jerseys! One more year until ballet, lol!
I'm so glad you guys found an alternative! Carter will occasionally try to hit us when we tell him no…it hasn't progressed to anyone else (that I know of), but I can totally understand the feelings you were having.
I love seeing her do gymnastics. I was a gymnast and would love to have a little girl to do classes with.
Her pigtails! So glad she's loving gymnastics and that the hitting has stopped! She looks beyond adorable on that balance beam!
Oh my gosssssssh! Gymnastics looks SO FUN! I wonder if I'd be able to sign Mia up for this in my town. They probably don't take them that young here 🙁
Okay, the hitting thing has got to be totally natural. Mia has started swiping at our faces in the past couple weeks, ah! But we have been doing the same thing… grabbing her hands and saying no. She's getting a lot better but I notice she tends to do it more when she's tired and it's close to bed time. You are a GOOD mom and Waverly is just learning her boundaries. Thanks to you…. she's learning the BEST ways 🙂
Oh my goodness! How cute is she in her gymnastics outfit?! I mean seriously. I love that you turned a not so positive thing into a totally positive thing! Maybe she just needed a change. Mason had this very short lived phase where he would pull the other kids hair at daycare. He quickly learned that wasn't a good idea though because all the kids would cry and not want to play with him…which in turn would make him cry lol. He realized quickly (thankfully for me) that pulling hair was bad and made kids unhappy. I don't know what I would have done because I can't switch daycares as easily as fun weekend activities. Here's hoping she's done with the hitting! xo
It's always so hard when littles go through the biting and/or hitting phase – hang in there, it's just a phase and will pass!
I love these pics of Waverly (cool name!) at gymnastics! Super cute!
She looks all grown up in her gymnastics outfit! I can totally relate to your hitting issue. We go to a gym class as well and Myles went through a little rough patch. One day to was throwing legos and climbing in the box and I was so embarrassed. I felt like people were thinking I didn't know how to control my child. I almost didn't want to go back. He also started getting agressive when he was at the higher end of the age range in his class. So I moved him up and he is going a lot better. Are there age ranges in her class. Maybe she needs to move up in the class. It seems like maybe she wasn't being challenged enough if she is having no problems in the gymnastics class now. At this age they change so much, I'm sure it was a phase and she is probably over it already. It's nothing you're doing so don't stress mama! You're great!
My baby girl is also going through a hitting/biting phase. It's so frustrating sometimes, but she only does it when she's trying to tell me something. I'm hopeful it will pass soon.
At least Waverly makes up for it by being adorable!
She's too stinking sweet! I remember seeing this photo on Instagram and LOVING it. She looks like she's having a blast and it's a great captured moment 🙂 I've really loved this link-up so much, and I'm so grateful to you and Jess for thinking of this and creating some awesome community of finding the little things. You guys rock. ~Jenna // A Mama Collective
My oldest (3) has never been a hitter but he has a close girl friend that I have caught hitting him and other children in their Sunday School class. Her mother and I are best friends and I love them both to death! However, I was disappointed at her mother's lack of attention to the fact that her daughter was hitting and obviously doing it when she wasn't looking. I just matter-of-factly told the child that we don't hit and moved on most of the times I saw it happening. It just aggravated me that the mother did not intervene before I had to. At least you were trying to stop her and it totally is a phase and Lord knows where they pick up this stuff. These little ones are still just learning how to interact in this big world.
I am new to your blog, so I just came across this post. Thanks for sharing the not so perfect moments of motherhood!!! I also love that you are taking her to gymnastics. We were just talking at lunch about little kids gymnastics. I may have to look it to that in our area now.
Thanks for sharing! I can imagine K will be like Waverly. She always pokes and pinches and prods my face and wants to touch (very hard) all other little ones. I think gymnastics will be a must for us too! Though, I haven't even tried MyGym yet. She really looks like she loves gymnastics!
xx Viv @ joiedeviv.blogspot.com
Thank you so much for sharing this! Sometimes it's hard to post when things aren't going perfectly. I'm sure that it is just a phase but I'm thrilled that she seems to love gymnastics so much! And her thighs in gynmastics outfit just about kill me!
Those little pig-tails are just too much! Absolutely adorable!!
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