And so it begins...

... the start Katherine's competitive gymnastics career. I'm not sure how long it will last, or how long she'll love it as much as she does today, but for as long as she wants to pursue it, I'm behind her all the way.

I was a little unsure about the whole thing when we got there. Three coaches, two girls. I guess there will be 4 girls, maybe 5 in the class next week (when some of them return from vacation) but even then, those ratios (student/teacher) seem really high. It seems crazy to me that they'd have three coaches for 4 or 5 girls.... Right????

Another thing I was skeptical about was the other little girl in her class. Her name is Hannah, and I swear, she looks at least two years older than Katherine. She looks taller, stronger, and just well... older. Here's my dilemma -- Katherine LOVES gymnastics and wants to be in the gym every second she can be, and that's great... BUT, the thought of her being compared to other girls, and seeing how she'll really measure up to her peers is frightening to me. I guess it's the momma bear coming out in me, wanting to protect my little girl (when maybe she doesn't need my protection) but really I'm beginning to wonder if she's too young for all this pressure.

Thankfully, I think Tarry prepared her really well. As I was watching, Katherine was every bit as good as this other girl, if not better, but the thought of her being watched, pushed, and compared to others, quite frankly freaks me out. If I put her in a room of average five year olds, she'd be a stand out, but compared to the competitive world of gymnastics, I'm not so sure. Only time will tell, I guess. For now, I'll just hold my breath and say tons of prayers that she can hold her own.... that disappointment won't fall on her young shoulders... that she'll hold her head up high when she falls, and learn to pick herself back up with a smile on her face and the same determination in her eyes that she has today.... that she meets success with grace and accepts criticism dignity.... that she learns to cheer on her teammates and finds joy in their triumphs..... that she keeps a good head on her shoulders and always follows her heart... that she remains true to herself... and that she always remembers that she has a mom who loves her more than life itself and will always support whatever she decides to do.