In the family of figure skaters Roman Kostomarov and OksanaDomnina is growing up with two children. Nastia, the eldest, on January 2 turned 7 years old, and her brother Ilya January 15 - 2 years old. And a star couple can not be punished! From an early age, Roman and Oksana accustom their offspring to the sporting regime. What other principles in the education of children guided figure skaters, Wday.ru told Roman Kostomarov.
The children should be selected by their parents
How else?Many children start thinking about their future profession at the age of 16, when they finish school. It is too late to become the best in their profession. So it is the parents who should guide their children in their choice. And do it as early as possible. I want to see my children only in sports. There are no other options. Regular training strengthens the character for life. If a child plays sports, then he will cope with any difficulties in adulthood. So Nastya is now playing tennis and dancing at the Todes school-studio. When Ilya grows up, we will also send him to tennis or hockey.
Photo: @romankostomarovkrs
The earlier a child engages in sports, the better
Oksana and I didn’t really insist, but our daughter herselfwanted to put on skates. She was about three years old then. Of course, at first she was afraid, her legs were wobbly. We thought the child would definitely break her head. But over time she got the hang of it and now runs around the ice quite briskly. I know some parents who try to put their child on skates almost before he or she can walk properly. Well, every parent chooses what is most convenient for them. Some people think that it is wrong to send a child to sports at an early age, saying that it will ruin their psychology. I have a different opinion. Many people told me that you should start playing tennis at 6-7 years old, when the child is more or less mature both physically and psychologically. I sent Nastya to the court when she was four. And I don’t regret it at all. The child is only seven, and she already plays at a pretty decent level. This is a different level of understanding the game, knowing how to hold the racket, how to hit the ball. But imagine if she had just started?
The child himself must succeed
I tell my children to rest on their parents' laurelsI definitely won’t allow it. They have to go through the same difficult path to success as Oksana and I. But this doesn’t mean that Nastya and Ilya don’t have a childhood. Our daughter studies until 4 o’clock in the kindergarten. And then – freedom! We didn’t send her to school, although she was 6.5 years old and could do it. We decided to let the child run around a bit and play with dolls. Although we are also preparing Nastya for school. A year ago, she started attending additional classes. They take our daughter to school from the kindergarten for two hours and then return her. We chose a regular state school for her, without any trendy bells and whistles. True, it has an in-depth study of art. The main thing for us is that our child is healthy and plays sports. Classes are held once a week. Sometimes she can be capricious in the morning: I don’t want to go to kindergarten! I have explanatory talks with her. “Nastenka, you don’t want to go to kindergarten today. Believe me, when you go to school, you will regret it. In kindergarten, you came, played, were fed, put to bed. Then they woke you up, fed you, sent you for a walk. A real pleasure! And what awaits you next, when you go to school? " In the evening, my daughter's "adult" life begins: one day she plays tennis, the next - dancing. Nastya has more than enough energy. And if she is not directed into a peaceful channel, she will destroy the whole house. Children do not know what to do with themselves from idleness. They watch a cartoon, then stare at some gadget. And after two hours of training, she is so tired that, when she comes home, she has dinner and goes to bed.
I try not to press the authority
I remember that for me it was a serious incentive to studysports, there was a desire to go abroad, buy Coke and chewing gum there. Now is a different time, different opportunities, you can’t tempt a child with Coke alone. This means you need a different motivation. At first, Nastya and I also had: “I don’t want to go to training!” – “What do you mean, I don’t want to?” I had to explain that there is no such word as “I don’t want to”, there is “I have to”. And that’s it. There was no pressure from parental authority. Now I use my daughter’s passion for dolls as an incentive. I tell her: if you do three training sessions perfectly, you will get a doll. And now there are also various soft toys, for the sake of which she is ready to run to classes almost every day. The main thing is to have a desire to train, to achieve victories.
