Son of a motherless goat!

At the end of Gavin's gymnastics class last night, his teacher approached me and suggested that "we try a different class with Gavin." She told me that she feels like he has real potential but he has difficulty staying on task in the group environment and she spends half the class chasing him around the gym.

OMG. Did she see me literally laugh out loud when Gavin took off from the class onto the floor and was swept up into the arms of another teacher only mere seconds before an older student opened a can of backhandspring all up on him?

Also, where the hell have I been? Sure, he sometimes takes off from the group and prefers to jump on the trampoline or run onto the floor than do the less than fun activities like waiting his turn but overall, I thought Gavin was doing awesome (keep in mind, this is a kid who only a year ago we couldn't take to the mall without his head turning around 360 degrees and all crucifixes within a 15 mile radius flipping upside down) AND he really, really enjoys it. He begs for "more gymnastics!!" He screams "turn left, turn left" and "GYMNAAAAAASTIIIIIIIIIICS" when we drive past the gymnastics studio on my way to work in the morning (did I mention the boy knows left from right? Booyah!). He grabs mine and the husband's hands and insists that we march from locale to locale- something they do in gymnastics when going from apparatus to apparatus.

Besides, should three year olds really be expected to stay on task 100% of the time? 50% of the time? 25% of the time? He is at least on task half the time. Is that so wrong? Apparently it is. Personally I can't blame the kid. I sit (well, stand and/or chase Grace) through each class and fight back the urge to take off onto the floor while some kid does her backhandsprings.

It seemed to me that gymnastics was the first thing in Gavin's life that has not only come easy but he has also enjoyed immensely and now we're being encouraged to come on a different night to a parent/teacher-taught class. Gavin will be the only kid in the class so technically he (and I) will be getting private lessons from the instructor and she said the gym is much less crowded on Monday nights. She is cool with me having Grace on the floor with us and since Gavin is the only one, I can tend to Grace as much as needed. She thinks that since I will be in the class, too, I will be able to help keep him on task.

Right. It is painfully evident that teacher has little to no insight into the science that is my parenting of the Gavinator. I wonder which one of my methods for keeping him on task she will prefer:

Just walk away and pretend he isn't my kid

Hide in the bathroom behind a locked door with a bottle of vodka and a People magazine.

Take him to the neighbor's

Sit on the floor while rocking and praying