Am I a horrible father?

MityMax96

My 7 year old daughter decided yesterday that she wanted to excersize with me. I did just a mild set consisting of jumping jacks, running man's, seal jumping jacks, crunches, bicycles kicks, and I did some burpees which she was intriqued by and did them with me. She mimicked me and had a blast doing it. Today she says her stomach hurts (abs) and my wife is all ticked off at me for letting her do the workout with me. I didn't force her to she just wanted to do it with me. Is this terrible? I don't think so, but I guess I could be wrong.

Good for her and you.

Make sure she comes back for round 2 after a rest day

Debbie_Ferr

young girls are very impressionable with body image issues. be mindful of the words you choose.

focus on health aspect , ie how ACTivities are good for our heart, our lungs, our circulation, our brain. something we look forward to and makes a positive difference the rest of the day.
and learning a new skill/sport/activity is a plus!!

and not even mention looks aspect , ie "lose weight" or "get trim" or "get a flat stomach". just my opinion.

btw~ glad to hear your daughter enjoys multiple activities, including dance lessons.

http://www.nedc.com.au/body-image

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=13&ved=0CF0QFjAM&url=http://www.healthunit.org/school/resources/Helping%20Young%20People%20Develop%20a%20Positive%20Body%20ImageLGL.pdf&ei=SaN6U7WHHI-jyATKwIC4DQ&usg=AFQjCNEMBbJUrcz_xACBrlpE68qs2xAKWA&sig2=_1xuRCBNA0109kY4Dy--vw&bvm=bv.67229260,d.aWw&cad=rja

Debbie_Ferr

again thank you so much for all the positive replies! I'll keep showing her the ropes as long as she is interested and wants to continue. Mom will come around I'm sure!

btw~ Mom may come around alot quicker if you stay real low-key with all this.

SnuggleSmacks

I really wish someone had inspired me when I was much younger and could go hand over hand across the monkey bars and do pull ups without thinking twice and hang from my knees. I wish someone had inspired me to keep my strength and flexibility instead of starting all over at 40 with arthritis in my hip and laughable attempts at chin ups. Don't let your wife discourage your daughter. She needs to gain what she can while she's young, and work to keep it into adulthood. A habit of maintaining good health is one of the very best gifts you could ever give her.

Debbie_Ferr

Sounds like your wife should exercise with both you and your daughter next time!

to win mom over, maybe mom can teach the daughter some new Zumba moves .
and then later, dad can show some exercise moves.
sounds like family fun !

knittnponder

That's not terrible at all! We used to do a family taekwondo class that had kids as young as 5 and they were expected to do all the same stuff we were. She's only sore because she's not used to it.

iggylove123

It's not like you were yelling at her saying "Do more!" or "go harder!"

She saw it as a bonding experience and it was! I'm sure you both had fun during it If she wants to work out with you again next time maybe tell her that you need do your work out set first but then do a separate super easy one with her? Or have her help you with easy things? Your wife shouldn't be super mad..that's silly.

Fat2FitMyDrive

We spoke last night and both agreed that if she wants to continue we will let her, and exactly as stated I'll do my workout then have her do one with me as posted by somebody else earlier where I will let her be the trainer. Last time she was trying to teach me her Hip Hop recital dance... Dad has no moves! Lol!

blackizbutiful

I wouldn't worry about it..my 6 year old daughter gets right there with me when I'm dong T25/Jillian Michaels/Hip Hop Abs even if 'm just stretching. When she's fed up she stops. Don't worry they're more resilient than we realize and they do know their limits and it is a good thing for her to develop healthy habits at a very young age.

Miss_james1990

My 2 year old joins in with me! She has a little witches broom that she squats sooooo cute!!!