If the coaches are fine with her not racing, I wouldn’t push it.

Anonymous wrote:The answer is simple. Let her practice and if she doesn't want to do the meets, don't force her.

This. We don’t do a lot of meets. No big deal.

Let me get this right OP - your seven year old hates club meets, correct? Have they ever swam summer?

I personally think that seven is way too young for club swimming, and this is one of those reasons.

If they hate club meets, then you might be surprised at a very different reaction to summer meets where there is music, ice cream, friends, etc.

Meets are both stressful and then boring. No idea why kids do swim team, honestly. Pick some other sport your kid likes better, OP.

a swim meet is a lot of pressure for a young anxious kid. Don't worry about it. When DC was 7, they didn't like meets- we only did home meets, only one event toward the beginning etc. My other DC's LOVED summer B meets- snack bar and friends was the time of their lives. For anxious DC- we just did home, swim, get dinner from snack bar- all is well. Now DC is 14, swimming club, and doing great. IF kid likes practice, don't worry to much about meets- it will come..

Summer swim is a lot different. My kid hated club swim meets but always enjoyed summer swim meets.

Definitely don't push it: 7 is very young for meets. Let DC come as a spectator to a home meet when the cafe is open. Buy junk food. Wear team T-shirt. Jojn in the cheers, if DC can handle the crowding. Leave very quickly. Repeat if interested, ignore if not, and celebrate DC attending practice regularly and making friends. When ready, enter one of the earliest events in a B meet and leave quickly to go out to dinner unless DC is having fun.

My kid didn’t like meets either and to be honest that’s why she gave up club swim after 2 years. Most clubs require a meet commitment. Ours was 4 which isn’t even a lot but DD dudnt enjoy them. There’s no camaraderie like there is in the summer

The answer is simple. Let her practice and if she doesn't want to do the meets, don't force her.

It's definitely anxiety and while the treatment for anxiety is not avoidance, if your goal is to eventually have her enjoy swimming, don't push her to race. Seven is still very young and racing isn't so essential that she *needs* to overcome this particular worry. It may come with time, it may not. If she enjoys practices, have her keep at it.

Anonymous wrote:I would not make them go to meets at 7, they are long and not very fun. You want them to have fun.

+1. It’s anxiety. Perhaps have her go with the understanding upfront that she’s just going to cheer on her teammates for a little bit.

I would not make them go to meets at 7, they are long and not very fun. You want them to have fun.

A decent number of younger kids on our team don’t participate in meets. We have a huge team so it’s not a big deal.

What do you want us to suggest? Cheer her on? Support her? Drug her with anxiety meds?
Encourage her? Pay her?
How do you put your pants on in the morning?

My seven-year-old loves practice but gets so nervous for meets and doesn't want to do them. She is usually a pretty confident and outgoing kid so this is surprising to me. Is this common? Any strategies for helping hert? The summer season is coming up and I want her to enjoy it!