Maybe she's just constipated ;-)

You know the show Two and A Half Men?  I don't usually watch it, but on occasion when it comes on after the evening news I see reruns of it.  Well, one of the few episodes I have seen has the following plot...

The kid, who is probably 8 or 9 in this episode, is acting all mopey.  He sulks around the house.  He doesn't want to talk to anyone.  He doesn't seem to take pleasure in any of his favorite activities.  The Dad and the Uncle are worried sick.  They start by trying to convince him to talk about what is bugging him.  Then they try to give him extra attention and do things to cheer him up.  The eventually take him to a shrink because they are so worried.  Finally the housekeeper steps in. The kid is back to himself the very next day.  What could she have done to solve the problem that eluded everyone else in such a short time??? She gave him prune juice.  Apparently the kid was just stopped up and not feeling great.

I bring this up because I have this habit of reading too much into both my kids' moods.  Bear has been having some difficulties at gymnastics recently.  I found out on Thursday that she has been phantom pains that keep her from completing practice.  My initial response was to expect some big dramatic reason for it. I started considering these big changes.  My mind goes overboard.  It is too much for her.  She is so much younger than the other kids that she feels out of place.  Her heel injury has made it where she is in constant pain and can't keep up...

As it turns out she is just a normal kid.  She figured out that she can miss the stuff she doesn't like by faking an injury.  So that's what she has been doing.  So no need to take her to a shrink :-)  She just needs to be reminded that choosing to be a competitive athlete includes choosing to do ALL the work, not just the fun part.

I did, however, come up with some ideas that I think will be good for her anyway.  I think that at the ripe old age of 7 she has already tied her identity to being a gymnast.  There's nothing wrong with that, but I think she needs to be reminded that she is more than a gymnast. That way when it does become to much for her, she won't be lost trying to figure out who she it without gymnastics.