Now, I know this show is designed for teenagers, but it is the only show that makes an attempt at depicting the life of a committed gymnast and my daughter was eager to watch it. If I am honest with myself I was eager to see what this show had to offer as well. So I made a deal with her, I stated that we would watch the show together and if there was anything that I was not comfortable with her seeing then we would turn it off. Now if you are ultra conservative with what you choose to discuss with your children, then this show is definitely for older viewers. I on the other hand choose to be very open and honest with my daughter about life and all of the challenges that are presented to us at varying stages. She has known exactly where babies come from since pre-school and we are currently going through the many conversations about puberty and what to expect as her body changes. I have no fear of discussing sex and the truths associated with the topic. I am not a fear monger nor do I encourage irresponsibility. I choose to be honest and in that I expect honesty from my daughter. This relationship that I am creating with her leads me to hope that once the difficult situations in her life arise she will trust me enough to not "lose it" on her and be the reasonable and understanding voice that she will need in that time.
Don't get me wrong, this show isn't grossly inappropriate or anything. It's just that I know some people are sensitive about subjects like sex, drugs, alcohol, lying, and cheating. But I find these topics necessary to address on a regular basis before they become common place in or children's lives. This series created some really intense relationships between the gymnasts, the parents, the coaches, doctors, and nutritionists everyone spent so much time together 5 sometimes 6 days out of the week that their lives all intersected and blended together.
At some point the parents of the gymnasts in these stories made the decisions to move their families to an Elite Training Facility to allow their daughters to become full time gymnasts. These girls trained 8 hours a day, were home-schooled, and fund-raised to finance their dreams of making the Olympic team. Through all of the intensity of their training lives they still have to find their way out of the everyday drama of teenage life (with some self inflicted pain thrown in of course). Through our marathon so many questions, as a parent, came to mind that I am going to have to research to prepare myself accordingly. When will I be expected to make the decision about committing our lives, as a family, to her training? If this show is any indication of the time frame in which this decision is made, then I have maybe 3 years tops to choose whether or not we are all in, no holds bare on this. By middle school these girls know what they are working for and what they need to get there.
Does the gym where she trains really make such a difference or if she has the skill will that carry her through most of the earlier levels in performance? If the gym that she trains in really is as important as it seems, then where are the best gyms? And how does one go about being accepted into one of these programs? When will the decision to home school need to be made? Just how much fundraising will be needed in order to finance our daughter's dream? Are the "politics" of gymnastics as frustrating to navigate as any other organization? If I am going to help The Munchkin Princess meet her goal of Olympics 2020 then I will need to find the answer to these questions so that I can plan accordingly with her. What I do know today is that she has her very first official practice on a competing team starting tomorrow and I am so excited to see her grow in her art. I'm ready to see her fly high and stick it!
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