'Is She Being Forced To Do This?' Internet Questions Whether This Kid Gymnast Is Happy

If you’ve ever seen Netflix’s Cheer series, you know the arduous work that goes into completing those stunts. But on that show, it’s clear that every last one of those college students is committed to being there. They’ve trained since they were children. They show up on the days when it’s not so glamorous, and the sweat, tears, and bruised bodies serve as proof of their dedication. But they’re grown. And people on the internet are staring to wonder if the father in one daddy-daughter stunting duo might be taking it too far.

Roland and his daughter Jayden have been doing stunts since she was an infant.

Roland Pollard made a name for himself on the internet performing gymnastic stunts with his now 7-year-old daughter, Jayden. The two have been doing this for a while, since before Jayden could walk. And for the most part, people online have enjoyed watching the two of them perform these amazing feats in their home. But a recent video has people questioning whether Jayden is being forced to perform against her will.

In a recent stunt video, Jayden initially looks terrified trying it out.

In a video from Roland’s page, he wrote, “Showed Jayden a stunt tonight and she was down to give it a go!”

Jayden executes the stunt perfectly, but the look on her face is one of fear. She looks scared. But once she’s back on the ground, having done what she needed to do, her smile returns.

As they both walk off screen, Roland asks Jayden, “How did that feel?” She replies “Good.” Then he says, “You had Daddy scared.” Jayden asks, “How did I scare you?” Roland says, “Because I didn’t think you were going to do it right.”

Talk to moms about mom stuff. And make money doing it.

People wondered if she's only doing this for her father.

Immediately, people took issue with the video, for several reasons. One of the first comments on the video asks, “Why does she always look so terrified while performing stunts?” Another simply asked, “Is she being forced to do this to make dad happy?”

Only time will tell the real story.

Children are exploited online to further their parents’ agenda all the time. We understand the concern. But it’s hard to say if that’s what’s happening here.

Doing stunts is scary, and it’s normal for that fear to show up on your face the first time you attempt something. We believe Roland could have said something more encouraging afterward, but this was a moment in time and we don’t know what the rest of their conversation was like.

Furthermore, Jayden is in gymnastics classes outside of the work she does with her father. We can’t be sure, but it appears that she enjoys it and performs well.

Gymnasts start young. That’s the nature of the sport. We just hope that if there ever comes a day when Jayden wants to stop, her wishes will be honored.

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