Tumbling Through It: The Real-Life Struggles (and Wins) of a Gymnastics Mom 🤸‍♀️

This season of life? It’s full of leotards, late nights, travel snacks, and more cartwheels than I can count.

I never thought I’d be a gymnastics mom—and definitely not to two kids in the competitive program. But here I am, folding warm-ups, setting alarms for weekend meets, and Googling “what even is a point deduction for?” more times than I want to admit.

Let me tell you... it’s a lot.

The Honest Side of Gymnastics Mom Life

We’re deep in the world of chalk dust and kip drills, and while it’s amazing to watch my girls grow stronger (mentally and physically), it's also overwhelming at times.

🌀The time commitment? Unbelievable. Hours and hours of practice every week, on top of full school days. That alone would be enough to exhaust anyone—especially my 9- and 11-year-old girls.

🧠 The attention struggles? Real. Both girls deal with ADHD, and as I sit in the parent viewing room watching one zone out mid-drill and immediately get scolded for being “lazy”… whew. That stings. It’s hard not to take that to heart.

👧 The drama? Teenage girl emotions mixed with chalky sweat and long days = occasional meltdowns, social stress, and tears in the car on the way home. We talk, we hug, we keep showing up.

🧳 The travel? We’re loading up the car for weekend meets, hauling snacks, suitcases, gear—and let’s not forget our 3-year-old who’s along for the ride with zero interest in sitting still for 5-hour meets.

💸 The confusion? I swear I’ll see what looks like a flawless floor routine—graceful, clean, confident—and then… BAM. The score tanks. And I’m left wondering if I missed a secret rulebook or handshake or something.

What Keeps Me Going

With all that said? The magic moments still win.

✨ When one of my girls lands a new skill they’ve been scared to try.

✨ When they get off the beam, breathless and proud, and run up to say, “I didn’t fall!!!”

✨ When I see their confidence bloom, in competition or just in how they carry themselves afterward.

✨ When their muscles flex as they carry groceries like they’re preparing for the Olympics. Seriously—they’re getting STRONG.

✨ And when they prove, again and again, that they can do hard things—even when they’re tired, overwhelmed, or afraid.

Would I want to climb up on a mat in front of judges and strangers to flip and twist under bright lights? Absolutely not. But they do it. And they make me proud every single time.

My Favorite Gym Mom Essentials 👜

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🛒 Meet Day Must-Haves

• Stadium seat cushion – You’ll thank me later. Those bleachers are no joke.

• Portable phone charger – Meet days are LONG. Keep your phone ready for videos and texts from your husband asking what time you’ll be home.

• Quiet toys(Aqua Art, Color/Sticker Books, Seek and Find Sticker Pad, Shape Puzzle) – For the little sibling stuck tagging along. I keep these in a travel tote always ready to go.

🧺 Practice Survival Kit

• Non Spill water bottle – Fewer messes, Plenty of color choices. These really are the best.

• Extra hair ties + brush – You know that mid-practice ponytail breakdown.

• Grips bag – Keep their grips in a handy and easily recognizable bag.

🧘 For Mom’s Sanity

• Noise-canceling earbuds – For when the room chatter gets to be a lot and during all that waiting for the competition to start you can listen to your audio books!

• Stress fidget – I mean, if they get one, we should too.

• Gymnastics scoring book – Try to understand what's happening out there. Try.

Gymnastics has taught my kids more than back handsprings and bar routines. It's taught them discipline, resilience, and what it means to push through when things get tough. It’s taught me to let go a little, support a lot, and trust the process—even when I don’t understand every scorecard.

We’re all tumbling through this together. 💪💖

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