Courtney and I did a mommy and tot gymnastics class when she was 2 years old. Long story short..,it was a disaster. It was that class that really opened my eyes on how different Courtney was. It was more than a speech delay. She was not developing like her peers in all areas (except physical). It took one day of class to see this. I called my sister in tears on my way home from that first class. All I could get out was, “she’s that child”.

I’ve never done another park district class with her since then. Too afraid to. Having that thought process is sad because I know there are programs out there that will meet her needs.

I got a video from her teacher this week that may help me change my mind. Maybe, just maybe she’s ready for some type of gymnastics class. This video is of Courtney at school in gym class. She is doing what her peer next to her is doing. For the brief 6 seconds of this video, Courtney looks just like her typical peer. Courtney is participating like her typical peer. It’s just 6 seconds but it’s a beautiful 6 seconds. Sounds corny but it’s 6 seconds that finally let me forget about how frustrating and disappointing that gymnastics class was 3 years ago.

After her teacher sent me the video, I shared with her the gymnastics story and how beautiful it is to see Courtney participating in a gym class next to her peers. She was so thrilled she was able to capture the quick moment for me.

Pretty sure I have watched this video 100 times now. One proud mommy!