Should you let your kid quit their organized sport or activity, or should you make them stick it out?
This is something that parents have to deal with. Sometimes we put our kid in an activity we think they will just love so much only to discover they hate it. You spent 50 bucks on special shoes, and of course they have to have an outfit of some sort for whatever class it is they’re taking.
It’s a huge pain in the ass, and if they decide they HATE soccer or ballet-then what the heck are you supposed to do with those cleats or slippers?
This totally happened to me. My daughter got into ballet, she really liked the idea of ballet. She liked wearing her leotard. She liked dancing around the house and pretending to be a ballerina, but when it came time for class, she threw a huge fit, begged to skip it, and pouted in the corner for the entire instruction.
So, I had to spend 20 minutes listening to her whine while I got her into her outfit, 10 minutes of her whining while we drove there, and then I had to sit through an hour of her coming in and out of the class the whole time. Now, of course-the lady that owned the dance studio assured me that this was all normal, and that I shouldn’t encourage her to quit. I should make her push through until the fun part.
But how do you know?
How do you know that your kid actually likes dance class, and you should make her spend a year of her life either deciding she likes it-or deciding that she most DEFINITELY hates it.
Well, I decided screw that lady, I know my kid best. So, I pulled her out of ballet and tap… and we no longer dreaded Thursday afternoons. Sure, I had a nice new pair of ballet and tap shoes that we had no use for, but whatever. It wasn’t worth it. Fast forward to nine months later, and she has discovered her hip-hop class… guess what-she LOVES it.
Have a Nice Day and Watch out for the Big Yellow Chicken.
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My parents always made up fulfill the commitment we made. So if it was a musical, we had to keep going until the performances were over. If it was dance class or soccer team, we had to finish the year or season… etc.
And we knew that was the case, so it reduced the whining.
Usually, after we had fun at the performances and recitals, we always wanted to sign up for the next year.
It wasn’t about whether we were going to become a ballerina or soccer player. It was about following through on what we said we’d do. It also kept us from jumping into things on our whim.
That’s probably what I’ll do with Gwen. But as a parent, you have to pick your battles.
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By HWPetty on 07.08.09 5:52 pm | Permalink
I used to teach the wee ones dance and this is perfectly normal. She might love ballet again, too, after nine months. But, to be honest, I’ve always thought that jazz and hip hop were much better suited to the little ones anyway. Let them MOVE for crying out loud, right!?
dualori´s last blog ..In Our Talons, Bowerbirds
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By dualori on 07.09.09 12:15 am | Permalink
I try to get my kids to finish what they start, but sometimes you’ve got to let go. I remember begging my mother to let me take ballet, until I got in class with a child abusing teacher. After dancing with marbles under my arches and having her practically tear my ligaments to develop flexibility, I find myself asking my kids, “Why do you want to quit?”
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By Joyce Lansky on 07.09.09 4:16 pm | Permalink
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