Tumbling Stumble

So being at home with my kids all day I have been thinking that it would be good to enroll our 2.5 year old in an activity away from the house. As the current ring leader of getting in trouble at home with the younger kids that I watch, I thought it might be nice for him to have more interaction with older children and learn better listening skills. Having said that, we decided to sign him up for a tumbling class since he is too young for most everything else. What a great idea, right? Oh sure, if your kid has had a real nap that day. Let me just say that his first day at tumbling was not quite what I had in mind. When we get there and get him signed up he is suddenly the shyest kid on the whole green earth. Normally I can't get him to stop talking or stand still, (must get it from some distant relative!), yet here we are and he is practically hiding behind me. The teacher tells me, don't worry, with the younger kids it sometimes takes a couple of weeks before they are comfortable to participate. Great.......so we find a chair with a view of the other children and settle in to watch with high hopes of him wanting to participate before the class is over. Ha! He was okay just watching at first but then the twoberty wiggles set in and he wants to get water and go outside and then go home. We are trying to make the best of the situation when of course he decides to break down and start crying. Did I mention that he only took a 40 minute nap today. I know, take a minute and laugh......go ahead, you'll feel better.................................................................alright, ready now? Daddy finally gets him to settle down and even convinces him to take his shoes and socks off. He is then running out to the mats and gets in line to be next. He is waiting so patiently for his turn. Now at this point the one teacher he is lined up in front of is doing a version of an airplane ride. The kind where your feet are on the childs chest/midsection and you lift them in the air. She then helps to flip them over and they are standing behind her. As soon as the teacher looks at him he comes running CRYING back to us. So funny and yet so sad. What an ordeal. By the time the class was over he was so worn out that he was just about hysterical when we got in the car. Good grief! He didn't even do any tumbling. I can only hope that as the weeks go on they will become easier and with any luck will be better rested! Until then we will share our laughter with the other parents who sit diligently watching their children learn the oh so important skills of front and back rolls, head stands, frog jumps, and running...................................