Encouragement of Olympic dreams
My daughter lives to figure skate. This worries me as she started skating at age 9. She wants to go to the Olympics some day, but is this dream unrealistic for her. Should I keep encouraging her dream, or should I tell her gently not to get her hopes up. There are so many talented children out there who started at age 3, 4 or 5. Is it a young girls sport now, because of Michelle Kwan and Tara Lipinski. Is there any hope for more mature talented skaters in today’s skating world? Thanks! sk8mum |
Linda says:
It sounds like you have a realistic understanding of the sport and you certainly are looking out for your daughter. The skating stars of today are all seem to be very young. It is important that your daughter has dreams since that is what will motivate her. You also want her dreams to be realistic. Even if she keeps her dream of going to the Olympics, she needs to understand the reality of that dream.
It's probably not a good idea to encourage a dream that is unrealistic. She should have goals for herself that she can attain. Even though she may not achieve her dream, she will have been successful in achieving her goals and hopefully enjoying herself along the way.
Marie says:
9 years is not necessarily too old to start skating. If I were you, I don't think I would try to lower her expectations, but rather praise her for each accomplishment so she gets a sense of satisfaction with each step. With experience, I think she will see on her own what's involved in beating all those other girls! Even if she just makes it to Nationals one day, she will have achieved a great deal.