My 19 year old(not ADHD) did cheerleading from age 10 through most of her senior year. She loved the cheering, but quit after football season her senior year (she was the only senior cheerleader) because of the cattiness of the girls that were going to cheer for basketball with her.
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she is ten. she would only be able to do it this year and next year with this group. I don't know if she will try to do it longer as she doesn't lke the type of girl that usually is a cheerleader. Why is that by the way? I remember in school we had one really nice girl who was a cheerleader and a buch of rotten ones. most of them were snots. Jasmine is really pretty and small so she would be a good one to be on top of the pile but I can't see her standing for the actions of the snotty types. I know we all think our daughters are pretty but I am not the only one who says so. In fact one of my excoworkers who saw her after she left made the statement"Why she is really pretty" with a extreme sound of surpise in her voice. Made me feel like she didn't think I could possible have a pretty child.
< ="text/"> // Begin Ad Muncher helper script wYZXso(1,"wYZTimeout('enableDesignMode()', 20);"); // End Ad Muncher helper scriptCheerleading may be a great thing for your daughter to do. It takes a lot of energy and enthusiasm. But be sure to let her know (I do not know how old your daughter is) that preteen and teen aged girls can be very catty and cliquesh (is that a word?).
My 19 year old(not ADHD) did cheerleading from age 10 through most of her senior year. She loved the cheering, but quit after football season her senior year (she was the only senior cheerleader) because of the cattiness of the girls that were going to cheer for basketball with her.
The cheer coach begged her to stay on but she said she "wants to remember my senior year as being fun, and those girls took all of the fun out of cheering basketball junior year, I am not going to let them ruin my senior year."
My daughter did a cheerleading camp for a week taught by real cheerleaders. Due to my girl being off meds and the class being bigger and with mixed ages my child got lost and became the mascott instead. I was embarrassed for her yet she wanted to continue going.
I have found the same thing....Chelsea was one of the non typicals...I had a huge talk with her about how cheerleaders were not above normal beings and that the first mom or girl that told me that she acted too good for them (we live in a small town, so I always find out everything!) then I would pull her off the squad myself! She did get along with some of the girls on the squad, but mostly still hung around with her lifelong friends that were non cheerleaders..
She tells a story about when one of the snobbiest girls quit the squad in junior year, the other girls were all crying and upset, and Chelsea wasn't and did not pretend to be...the other girls asked her why, and Chelsea truthfully said, "Why would I be upset? She has been mean and hateful to me for years! I did not make her quit, but it is gonna be more peaceful around here for me w/o her here!"
Chelsea always said that she was so not the typical cheerleader....she liked most everybody and got along with most kids at school, not just the other cheerleaders..
I believe that inclusion and extracurricular activies are VERY beneficial for our kids. They teach teamwork, patience and social skills.
I say do it. If it becomes too overwhelming for her she can always taper off her involvement.
Jillette don't be embarrassed at her being the mascott. She enjoyed it. She was included and felt part of something. Thats a good thing.
I would say keep her on them, there is a lot of memorizing of movements and chants, and she would probably benefit from the focus the meds would give her.monkey that was going to be my next question. Jas is of course more enthusiastic when not on meds so I was wondering about not making her take them but then she won't be able to concentrate so would be a hindrance. she is never that sedate even when on meds unless she has a book of course.