Mayllin and the Pre-team

Maylin is a funny little thing. She is PAINFULLY afraid of being in front of people.  She is nervous about new situations and terrified that people will look at her or worse laugh at her. Yet almost inexplicably she can and will talk to ANY perfect stranger as if she has known them her whole life. She will ask anyone their name and their life story. I honestly think talking to people is her way of controlling her environment and the 'unknown'. 

All this to say... On her first day of her new gymnastics class she was nervous. It was an environment she was not in control of. I didn't know if there would be any girls she knew from her previous class... I didn't even know who was going to be coaching this class. 

As it turned out there were no familiar faces and there was only one other 7 year old in her class. The rest of the girls were all older.  On the way there she told me her belly was nervous and she asked me "What if I can't do what the big girls can do and they laugh at me?" 

Of course I assured her that this class is only for girls on her level!

As she walked in the gym and quickly scanned the room for familiar faces one would have never known that she was nervous. 

She had her game face on. She walked right in put her shoes and water bottle in her cubby and lined up without flinching. She started asking other girls their names. 

I was glad that the class started with her original coach. There were a few other coaches in the room whom she had never met. She kept an eye on them and as one of them passed by while she was stretching she asked him his name. He enthusiastically told her and asked her name. That seemed to satisfy her and make her more comfortable. 

 As it turns out that same coach worked with her class on the bars and vault. I was glad Maylin already had made that interaction with him before he took over her class. I could see that made it OK for her. She even looked excited and asked him if he remembered her name. Her eyes lit up when he did. From that point on she had a friend and she became her spunky self... afraid of nothing.

During the rest of class she had a blast and enjoyed trying new things!

I think she is heading in the right direction! Gymnastics is going well too. ;)