Dear Person With a Screaming Toddler...

[Dustybug]

I read through this whole thread and I didn't think of her comment this way at all. I thought of it like the dance recital mom let her kid essentially CIO during the performance... and wouldn't it be amusing if she was a parent who didn't believe in CIO when the kid was a baby. It totally fits - she was making a reference to the parent allowing a 3 year old to essentially cry it out.

 

My kids are 13 and 9 and I can't remember if I let them CIO as babies or not. That was a lifetime ago. And who really cares anyway?? But thinking that SKL made that joke to "assert her agenda" sounds to me like someone is way too sensitive and taking something really simple and actually pretty amusing way too far. Does it really matter what she thinks of CIO? Do you really care what she thinks? If not, then let it go just because your entire tirade on her has now taken over this thread and YOU are the one making it about CIO. Goodness!

 

:iagree:I got the joke and think there is a little hypersensitivity going on, but not from SKL.

 

I am just completely gobsmacked by how long you all (dance families) sit at a recital! :ack2: I would be crying with the toddler. Once again, you all are tougher than me and evidently have unlimited patience. :blink:

 

No joke. My DD's recital this year was over 3 hours long. I am SO glad that I was able to get my niece to babysit my younger two or it would have felt ages longer.

[Stellalarella]

Wow. this is a long thread. Almost as long as a 3 hour dance recital.

 

Is a three hour dance recital developmentally appropriate for any dancer's siblings to sit through???

I can only imagine all the parents sitting there, bored to tears, hoping to high heaven the torture will soon pass, playing Angry Birds on their phone and texting Aunt Ida to whine about how long the recital is lasting.

What about blood clots forming in the legs?

Surely the infamous toddler was merely expressing what everyone else was trying not to express.

I think if I was his mom, I would have been so relieved to have a reason to step out.

But that is JUST me.

[Tree House Academy]

....but not from SKL.

 

 

:iagree:

[awisha.]

I read through this whole thread and I didn't think of her comment this way at all. I thought of it like the dance recital mom let her kid essentially CIO during the performance... and wouldn't it be amusing if she was a parent who didn't believe in CIO when the kid was a baby. It totally fits - she was making a reference to the parent allowing a 3 year old to essentially cry it out.

 

My kids are 13 and 9 and I can't remember if I let them CIO as babies or not. That was a lifetime ago. And who really cares anyway?? But thinking that SKL made that joke to "assert her agenda" sounds to me like someone is way too sensitive and taking something really simple and actually pretty amusing way too far. Does it really matter what she thinks of CIO? Do you really care what she thinks? If not, then let it go just because your entire tirade on her has now taken over this thread and YOU are the one making it about CIO. Goodness!

:iagree:

[kitten18]

To lighten the mood, for those times when you CAN'T take out the screaming toddler:

 

TERROR ON FLIGHT 611 - THERE'S BABY ON BOARD

by Dave Barry

 

Recently, my wife and I took our eight-month-old daughter on a trip involving

five plane flights in one week. Many people would be reluctant to travel with a

baby that small, but we had a compelling reason: We have Fig Newtons for brains.

 

An intelligent person, or even a reasonably bright fungus, would know that two

people cannot possibly carry both a baby and all the supplies the baby needs,

including stroller, car seat, clothes, nappies, industrial-sized bale of wipes,

stuffed bear, stuffed tiger, stuffed frog, stuffed paramecium, etc. The total

weight of all these supplies can be hundreds of times the weight of the actual

baby. This is why your famous explorers rarely travelled with babies.

 

If Magellan had tried to sail around the world with a baby on board, his ship

would have sunk at the dock from the weight of the formula alone.

 

We were one of those wretched travelling families you see getting on planes -

the kind where you don't actually see the people, just this mound of baby

equipment shuffling slowly down the aisle toward you. This sight is always

hugely popular with the other passengers, some of whom will yank open the

emergency exits and dive out of the plane. Because they know what babies do on

planes: They stand on their parents' laps and stick their heads up over the

seats, so they can get maximum range when they shriek. On a baby-intensive

airplane, you see shrieking baby heads constantly popping up all over, like

prairie dogs from hell.

 

As a parent in this situation, your fervent hope is that the other babies on

the plane will shriek louder than yours, thereby diverting passenger hatred

away from you. It would not surprise me to learn that some parents creep

under the seats and pinch other people's babies to set them off. I myself

would never do such a thing. I carry a slingshot.

 

The trick for keeping your baby from crying on the plane is to come up with a

new activity each time the baby gets bored. A standard baby gets bored every

15 seconds, so on a four-hour flight, you, as a parent, need to come up with

960 different activities. By the third hour of the flight, your standards are

pretty low. Baby wants to play in the airplane toilet? Sure! Baby wants to

crawl into the cockpit and bite the navigator on the ankle? Whatever baby

wants!

 

Here's what a stupid parent I am: On our first flight, I brought two newspapers

on board. I did not read one word of either one. What I read was a book called

Farm Faces, which is made entirely of cloth. There's a cow on the cover, and

each page has a new animal. Here's the entire text:

 

'Chick,' 'Lamb,' 'Pig,' 'Duck,' 'Horse,' 'Worm.''

 

I read this book to my daughter maybe 40 times, using a dramatic and excited

voice to show her how fascinating it was. I mean, talk about a surprise plot

twist! I NEVER would have guessed worm!

 

I also tried to interest Sophie in the in-flight movie, which was The Perfect

Storm, in which George Clooney goes to sea in a fishing boat and is killed by

special effects. Sophie did not care for it. I could see her point: I thought

Farm Faces was less formulaic.

 

It goes without saying that your baby will poop massively on the plane. This

must have something to do with atmospheric pressure, because it never fails.

Each year, more baby poop is produced on airplanes than in all of Portugal.

Fortunately, most planes have a little changing shelf in the bathroom, which

is the perfect size for a baby, provided that it is a baby gerbil. For human

babies, you have to use the seat, which then must be burned when the plane

lands.

 

The only really practical place to change a baby on an airplane would be on the

wing, but of course you can't take the baby out there. The other passengers

would never let you back inside.

 

You know what we need? We need an airline just for people with babies (it

could be called 'Shrieking Prairie Dogs From Hell Airlines'). The planes

would not have seats: Everyone would squat on the floor. The preflight safety

lecture would consist of a demonstration of how to get a Lego out of a child's

mouth. The inflight meal would be Cheerios eaten off the floor. If the noise

reached a certain decibel level, plastic tubes would automatically pop out

of the ceiling to dispense liquid horse tranquillser to the parents.

 

The inflight movie would be Farm Faces, starring George Clooney as: Worm.

:smilielol5::smilielol5: I am crying from laughing so hard.

[TammyB]

Two things:

 

First, yes. The parent should have removed the screaming child and tried to regain some sanity for everyone's sake.

 

Second, I'll bet they probably wanted to see their kid's solo, too and got overwhelmed by their toddler's meltdown. It helps not to get so pissed off at these situations if you can extend just a bit more grace than you think you can. After all, someone has probably thought the same thing when your toddler behaved like that at some point in your life. And if your toddler never did such a thing, then you are truly blessed. Take pity on those who have had socially unfortunate episodes with our children.

 

:iagree:[/quote}]

 

Her child's solo wouldn't have lasted three hours. I'm having trouble coming up with any reason why the parent shouldn't have left the auditorium asap.

[TammyB]

1) Perhaps the parents were wrong, but words like hideous and obnoxious (not your words, of course) have no place in a mature complaint about something like this. That is why this thread is already getting emotional....

 

2) If it was three hours straight of this, I can see a reason for being upset (not "hideous, obnoxious" upset, but quite upset)... but perhaps because I've been in this position enough times at church, I can imagine that possibly the child was not constantly screaming, and possibly things went something like this... the parents find that they have a disruptive child, they take them out of the auditorium (or talk to them quietly without leaving), said child calms down, they bring them back, child gets worked up again, and the cycle continues. Each time they think it's okay to be in there, it's not. It's frustrating and embarrassing to be in that situation, and you really hope the people around you are willing to be merciful about it.

 

The situation is SO much more stressful when there's an event where once you leave you cannot come back in... perhaps this child's parents were feeling this kind of pressure as well. If it was indeed 3 hours straight of this, it seems like the parents made a poor choice to stay inside. But I still say people ought to extend the kid and the parents a little more grace...

 

I'm all for extending people grace, but if the child did indeed scream for three hours, I would have been incredibly irritated as well. Three hours is a long time to listen to screaming. A LONG time. I'm shocked no one said anything to the mom. I bet a lot of people felt like the recital was ruined for them.

[TammyB]

I don't know any dance recital for children that goes on for 3 hours, but people are human. We don't know for sure how bad this kid was because people tend to stretch the truth when they're irate. I would have gone up to the mother afterward and let her know that we all go through troublesome times when children are tired, hungry, and fidgety. But that people wouldn't mind helping if she needs it. The world is very cold, unforgiving and selfish now. It's sad really.

 

My husband just took my daughter to our friends' three hour dance recital.

[5LittleMonkeys]

I can't believe no one has given flutistmom David Tennant in a kilt yet. I would but I'm on my iPad and can't figure out how.:tongue_smilie:

[TammyB]

:iagree: Pretty much this. Unless the OP completely fabricated the entire story, there is no scenario, even to a lesser degree than described, that I would think excusable.

 

I agree.

[KungFuPanda]

I read the whole thing. I want my medal. My thoughts:

 

1. I JAW the OP. She had me at Hideous Brat. I would have used Feral H3ll-Monkey, but that's just me.

 

2. I was IN a 3-hour show last night. NOBODY was fool enough to let a child disrupt the event for anyone.

 

3. Hideous Boy's mom was not injured. I know this in my soul. I'd bet a million dollars that she felt entitled to her 20 bucks worth of recital.

 

4. The organizers should have announced the proper procedure for dealing with antsy tikes after the 10th time they heard "JUICE" through the wings. If that didn't fix it, they should have paused the show long enough for the organizers to determine when Juice Boy's sister danced and removed the offending family for all BUT those numbers. This IS helping her by letting her know that people will call her on it if she neglects her parenting duties in public.

 

5. I'm :lol: at the CIO tangent and think Juicy Mom MUST be pro-CIO since she clearly posesses the will-power required to not respond to a piercing cry.

 

6. It takes less time, money, and physical effort to acquire a sitter than it does to support a year's worth of dance lessons.

 

And the MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION:

 

How DID OP's daughter's solo go despite getting shorted on lessons and thwarted by Minions of the Deep? Does OP feel that Brat Boy was a divine messenger trying to tell her this studio is wrong for her?

Edited June 18, 2012 by KungFuPanda

[I.Dup.]

I read the whole thing. I want my medal. My thoughts:

 

1. I JAW the OP. She had me at Hideous Brat. I would have used Feral H3ll-Monkey, but that's just me.

 

2. I was IN a 3-hour show last night. NOBODY was fool enough to let a child disrupt the event for anyone.

 

3. Hideous Boy's mom was not injured. I know this in my soul. I'd bet a million dollars that she felt entitled to her 20 bucks worth of recital.

 

4. The organizers should have announced the proper procedure for dealing with antsy tikes after the 10th time they heard "JUICE" through the wings. If that didn't fix it, they should have paused the show long enough for the organizers to determine when Juice Boy's sister danced and removed the offending family for all BUT those numbers. This IS helping her by letting her know that people will call her on it if she neglects her parenting duties in public.

 

5. I'm :lol: at the CIO tangent and think Juicy Mom MUST be pro-CIO since she clearly posesses the will-power required to not respond to a piercing cry.

 

6. It takes less time, money, and physical effort to acquire a sitter than it does to support a year's worth of dance lessons.

 

And the MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION:

 

How DID OP's daughter's solo go despite getting shorted on lessons and thwarted by Minions of the Deep?

 

Will you be my neighbor?

 

:lol:

[KungFuPanda]

 

You're welcome.

[KungFuPanda]

Will you be my neighbor?

 

:lol:

 

Will you bring chocolate when invited to tea? (My answer matches yours)

[I.Dup.]

Will you bring chocolate when invited to tea? (My answer matches yours)

 

:D:D

[Georgiana Daniels]

I am just completely gobsmacked by how long you all (dance families) sit at a recital! :ack2: I would be crying with the toddler. Once again, you all are tougher than me and evidently have unlimited patience. :blink:

 

:iagree::iagree::iagree:

[cdrumm4448]

I am just completely gobsmacked by how long you all (dance families) sit at a recital! :ack2: I would be crying with the toddler. Once again, you all are tougher than me and evidently have unlimited patience. :blink:

 

My DD was in four recital numbers this year, one in each act of the recital. Most of the numbers are very, very good and we have no problem watching them. The rec numbers can be a good time to visit the restroom or check email on your phone. But, in general I'd be terribly upset if the recital was ruined by a screaming anything.

 

Again, it's not just rude. It's very dangerous for the dancers. Safety first!

[I talk to the trees]

I read the whole thing. I want my medal. My thoughts:

 

1. I JAW the OP. She had me at Hideous Brat. I would have used Feral H3ll-Monkey, but that's just me.

 

2. I was IN a 3-hour show last night. NOBODY was fool enough to let a child disrupt the event for anyone.

 

3. Hideous Boy's mom was not injured. I know this in my soul. I'd bet a million dollars that she felt entitled to her 20 bucks worth of recital.

 

4. The organizers should have announced the proper procedure for dealing with antsy tikes after the 10th time they heard "JUICE" through the wings. If that didn't fix it, they should have paused the show long enough for the organizers to determine when Juice Boy's sister danced and removed the offending family for all BUT those numbers. This IS helping her by letting her know that people will call her on it if she neglects her parenting duties in public.

 

5. I'm :lol: at the CIO tangent and think Juicy Mom MUST be pro-CIO since she clearly posesses the will-power required to not respond to a piercing cry.

 

6. It takes less time, money, and physical effort to acquire a sitter than it does to support a year's worth of dance lessons.

 

And the MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION:

 

How DID OP's daughter's solo go despite getting shorted on lessons and thwarted by Minions of the Deep? Does OP feel that Brat Boy was a divine messenger trying to tell her this studio is wrong for her?

 

1- I think the term "little offender" is probably more sensible, and more accurate (now that my blood pressure is back to normal!) but I'm filing away your term for the next time this happens!

 

2- How'd your show go? No "little offenders" I hope?

 

3- I don't know.....maybe she's logged on here right now, following this thread..........

 

4- A few moms tried to address the noise problems a couple of years ago. The studio owner ignored us completely. The recitals are always a bit chaotic, but we've never had a chronic obn....uh, little offender before.

 

5- Hey! I had a thread hijacked! That's a first for me!

 

6- Whoo-boy! You're not kidding!

 

AND...Dd handled the whole thing quite well, as did the other dancers. When I asked, she said that they were always told that you had to just keep going, so that's what she did. And her solo was lovely, despite the noise pollution!:D

 

(Btw, I learned to multi-quote for this post. I want a medal, too!:D)

 

 

You're welcome.

 

Now THAT I could watch for 3 hours!;)

[I talk to the trees]

And another:

 

 

Dave Barry

Dining with babies causes stressful ambience

 

Posted 10-05-2005 at 10:44PM

If you’re a new parent, there will come a time when either you or your spouse will say these words:

“Let’s take the baby to a restaurant!’’

Now, to a normal, sane person, this statement is absurd. It’s like saying: “Let’s take a moose to the opera!â€

But neither you nor your spouse will see anything inappropriate about the idea of taking your baby to a restaurant. This is because, as new parents, you are experiencing a magical period of wonder, joy, and possibility that has made you really stupid. You are not alone: All new parents undergo a sharp drop in intelligence. It’s nature’s way of enabling them to form an emotional bond with a tiny human who relates with other humans exclusively by spitting up on them. Even very smart parents are affected, as we see from these two quotations:

Albert Einstein Shortly Before The Birth Of His Son: “To know that what is impenetrable to us really exists, manifesting itself as the highest wisdom and the most radiant beauty, which our dull faculties can comprehend only in their most primitive forms—this knowledge, this feeling, is at the center of true religiousness.â€

Albert Einstein Shortly After The Birth Of His Son: “Daddy’s gonna eat these widdle toes!â€

After a month or so of bonding with their baby, the typical parents have the combined IQ of a charcoal briquette. This is when they decide it’s OK to take the baby to a restaurant. I know what I’m talking about: My wife and I have a baby daughter, and we have repeatedly taken her to restaurants, even though by now experience should have taught us that it would be far more pleasant and relaxing for us to stay home and play tic-tac-toe on our foreheads with a soldering iron.

But we cannot help ourselves, and neither can you, if you’re a new parent. That’s why today I’m presenting these Helpful Tips For Dining Out With A Baby:

1. The instant you get to the restaurant, ask for the check. You want to be able to pay and get out of there as quickly as possible when your baby screams, or decides—as babies instinctively do, in restaurants—to grunt out an impossibly large output, such that you experience a dreaded condition known to diaper scientists as Projectile Huggies Leakage. So it’s best to pay your bill as you enter the restaurant, adding a little extra (say, $800) to compensate for the fact that after you’re finished, your table may have to be burned. Some parents never actually enter the restaurant: They simply drive up to the front door, hurl money out the car window, then speed off, their baby wailing like an ambulance siren in the night.

2. Request a table in a location that will not disturb other diners. For example, if you want to eat at an elegant restaurant in New York City, you should try to get a table on the roof. Or, better still, at a Bob’s Big Boy in Cleveland. 3. Select an appropriate cuisine. Of the wide variety of cuisines available today—Italian, French, Chinese, Tiny Portions Of Meat With Some Kind Of Inedible Decorative Stuff Dribbled On The Plate In A Pattern As If It Were An Art Project Instead Of A Meal—I would say that the best kind of cuisine, for the parent of a small baby, is a cuisine that you can eat with one hand. You, of course, need the other hand to keep putting things into your baby’s mouth, so your baby can spit them out (a baby is not happy unless it is emitting something from somewhere). In fact, you may need both hands for this activity, so you might want to order an entree that you can eat with no hands, sporadically lunging your face down to your plate and snorking up food Labrador-retriever style. You will not have time to taste anything. Restaurant employees know this, and sometimes, for fun, they serve prank entrees to new parents, to see if they’ll notice. A Boston restaurant recently got a new father, distracted by a small baby, to eat a whisk broom covered with melted cheese. At least he ate something. Sometimes I spend the entire meal carrying my daughter around the restaurant, crossing paths with other nomadic parents carrying their children around, each of us leaving a trail of drool. Our big night out! It may not sound like fun to you, but we parents of newborns are able to enjoy it because of our philosophy of life, which can be summed up by the immortal words penned by William Shakespeare shortly after the birth of his first child: “Woogum woogum woogum woogum!â€

 

:lol:

Okay, between Dave Barry and David Tennant, this thread definitely has me smiling now!

[Impish]

I read the whole thing. I want my medal. My thoughts:

 

1. I JAW the OP. She had me at Hideous Brat. I would have used Feral H3ll-Monkey, but that's just me.

 

2. I was IN a 3-hour show last night. NOBODY was fool enough to let a child disrupt the event for anyone.

 

3. Hideous Boy's mom was not injured. I know this in my soul. I'd bet a million dollars that she felt entitled to her 20 bucks worth of recital.

 

4. The organizers should have announced the proper procedure for dealing with antsy tikes after the 10th time they heard "JUICE" through the wings. If that didn't fix it, they should have paused the show long enough for the organizers to determine when Juice Boy's sister danced and removed the offending family for all BUT those numbers. This IS helping her by letting her know that people will call her on it if she neglects her parenting duties in public.

 

5. I'm :lol: at the CIO tangent and think Juicy Mom MUST be pro-CIO since she clearly posesses the will-power required to not respond to a piercing cry.

 

6. It takes less time, money, and physical effort to acquire a sitter than it does to support a year's worth of dance lessons.

 

And the MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION:

 

How DID OP's daughter's solo go despite getting shorted on lessons and thwarted by Minions of the Deep? Does OP feel that Brat Boy was a divine messenger trying to tell her this studio is wrong for her?

:lol:

[JenC3]

Didn't read any replies, but my kids do not get to the theater until they are 5. Not b/c they behave badly, but b/c they are under 5 and I do not expect their attention and stamina to make it through sitting still and quietly for 2 plus hrs. My dd is starting 6 yrs of ballet and we have always hired a sitter for the kids.

 

I would be super annoyed as well.

[Elinor Everywhere]

 

Sticks and stones and all that :) If this is the worse thing anyone said about that child at that performance then that kid is lucky. I know quite a few people who would have publicly called the mom out and told her to shut her ####ing kid up.

 

:lol::lol: Yup. And I know plenty who would cheer when it happened.

[Elinor Everywhere]

 

And I have a dry sense of humor which I thought might be shared by other mature adults. But there, I am apparently wrong.

 

No, you're not. ;)

[Elinor Everywhere]

 

So how's this for honest? I think that people should be considerate of others when attending a performance (jawm). And I am really irked that an inconsiderate person kept me from enjoying a performance that my daughter worked very hard for (jawm). And I'm feeling defensive because folks here have jumped on me for venting about such an obvious lack of manners! (jawm).

 

:iagree::iagree::iagree: :lol: (But seriously, I do agree, and completely)

[ChristyB in TN]

Ugh, I agree. My first was in dance for 4 years. At the end of the recitals I literally felt traumatized. I do NOT miss any of that.

 

This past year he was in a drama class. They did a small play. The whole thing was over in less than an hour. There wasn't hours of rehearsal time beforehand with hours of waiting in between. It was heavenly!

 

I didn't bring the younger child as a toddler because I didn't think it was realistic to expect him to sit for hours watching that.

Whew! I would be crazy. Certainly makes a little volunteering to paint the scenery seem like a walk in the park! Go Drama! ;) My daughter danced, she's almost 17 so that was many moons ago. I remember going to the recitals and being tired of being there after 30 minutes or so. I don't remember it lasting more than an hour. We would not have made it. The only thing worse is piano. My advice is choose teachers with very few students! :D There is an advantage to having children growing up and driving themselves to things, having jobs, NOT having recitals.

[jujsky]

Whew! I would be crazy. Certainly makes a little volunteering to paint the scenery seem like a walk in the park! Go Drama! ;) My daughter danced, she's almost 17 so that was many moons ago. I remember going to the recitals and being tired of being there after 30 minutes or so. I don't remember it lasting more than an hour. We would not have made it. The only thing worse is piano. My advice is choose teachers with very few students! :D There is an advantage to having children growing up and driving themselves to things, having jobs, NOT having recitals.

 

 

The studio we're at (and leaving for another studio partially because of this) has 3 recitals -- 1 Friday night and 2 Saturday. Tuesday there were 2 blocking rehearsals (shows 1 &3), Wednesday there was 1 blocking and 1 dress rehearsal (shows 2 &1), and Thursday there were 2 dress rehearsals (shows 2 & 3). DD is in their dance company so we had to be at all the rehearsals except the show 2 blocking rehearsal since her dances were repeated in shows 2 &3 and they already blocked it during the show 3 blocking rehearsal. The earliest we got home on any given night that week was 9:30. The earliest we had to arrive was 3:00. Thursday we were there from 3:00-10:30. DD is the only one who is homeschooled and we're done for the year. I don't know how the kids in school do it. Many parents had to pull their kids from school early just to make the rehearsals, and some even kept them out of school Friday since they were up until 10:00 or 11:00 rehearsing the night before and had to be back at the performance hall by 5:45 Friday evening for recital 1. It was nuts. I'm still completely exhausted from being there with her and volunteering. Several of the other girls her age in dance company with her had melt-downs. It was way, way too much for 7 and 8 year-old children. And yes, all 3 recitals were over 3 hours long. Some parents sat through all 3.

 

Edited to add: In case anyone is wondering, no -- this isn't a professional, well-known ballet school or anything. This is a regular old dance studio that teaches a bunch of different styles of dance. It's way too much of a commitment at that place. After 5 years of the expectations and time commitment getting progressively higher, we're out of there for a (hopefully) less stressful studio.

Edited June 18, 2012 by jujsky

[Debbie in OR]

To the OP, I totally agree with you. In that situation (not stuck on a plane, train, subway, bus, etc..), there is no excuse for it.

 

About the CIO comments, they were appropriate for a thread about a child who was crying through out an event. Nobody knows what the mom's parenting style is exactly but there is at least some indication that she is ok letting a child cry for hours. SKL's comments were at least relevant, regardless of your opinion of them.

[Pink Fairy]

The studio we're at (and leaving for another studio partially because of this) has 3 recitals -- 1 Friday night and 2 Saturday. Tuesday there were 2 blocking rehearsals (shows 1 &3), Wednesday there was 1 blocking and 1 dress rehearsal (shows 2 &1), and Thursday there were 2 dress rehearsals (shows 2 & 3). DD is in their dance company so we had to be at all the rehearsals except the show 2 blocking rehearsal since her dances were repeated in shows 2 &3 and they already blocked it during the show 3 blocking rehearsal. The earliest we got home on any given night that week was 9:30. The earliest we had to arrive was 3:00. Thursday we were there from 3:00-10:30. DD is the only one who is homeschooled and we're done for the year. I don't know how the kids in school do it. Many parents had to pull their kids from school early just to make the rehearsals, and some even kept them out of school Friday since they were up until 10:00 or 11:00 rehearsing the night before and had to be back at the performance hall by 5:45 Friday evening for recital 1. It was nuts. I'm still completely exhausted from being there with her and volunteering. Several of the other girls her age in dance company with her had melt-downs. It was way, way too much for 7 and 8 year-old children. And yes, all 3 recitals were over 3 hours long. Some parents sat through all 3.

 

Edited to add: In case anyone is wondering, no -- this isn't a professional, well-known ballet school or anything. This is a regular old dance studio that teaches a bunch of different styles of dance. It's way too much of a commitment at that place. After 5 years of the expectations and time commitment getting progressively higher, we're out of there for a (hopefully) less stressful studio.

 

And your dd is only SEVEN?!!! :001_huh: Holy moly, I think finding a new studio is a great idea.

[Parrothead]

The studio we're at (and leaving for another studio partially because of this) has 3 recitals -- 1 Friday night and 2 Saturday. Tuesday there were 2 blocking rehearsals (shows 1 &3), Wednesday there was 1 blocking and 1 dress rehearsal (shows 2 &1), and Thursday there were 2 dress rehearsals (shows 2 & 3). DD is in their dance company so we had to be at all the rehearsals except the show 2 blocking rehearsal since her dances were repeated in shows 2 &3 and they already blocked it during the show 3 blocking rehearsal. The earliest we got home on any given night that week was 9:30. The earliest we had to arrive was 3:00. Thursday we were there from 3:00-10:30. DD is the only one who is homeschooled and we're done for the year. I don't know how the kids in school do it. Many parents had to pull their kids from school early just to make the rehearsals, and some even kept them out of school Friday since they were up until 10:00 or 11:00 rehearsing the night before and had to be back at the performance hall by 5:45 Friday evening for recital 1. It was nuts. I'm still completely exhausted from being there with her and volunteering. Several of the other girls her age in dance company with her had melt-downs. It was way, way too much for 7 and 8 year-old children. And yes, all 3 recitals were over 3 hours long. Some parents sat through all 3.

 

Edited to add: In case anyone is wondering, no -- this isn't a professional, well-known ballet school or anything. This is a regular old dance studio that teaches a bunch of different styles of dance. It's way too much of a commitment at that place. After 5 years of the expectations and time commitment getting progressively higher, we're out of there for a (hopefully) less stressful studio.

Wow! I just thought dd's rehearsal week was bad. We now take the second week in May off school to accommodate rest times and down time during recital week.

[jujsky]

And your dd is only SEVEN?!!! :001_huh: Holy moly, I think finding a new studio is a great idea.

 

Yup -- only 7. She kept it together for all the rehearsals and recitals, but burst into tears last night when she was being silly at the table and DH raised his voice a little. She's wiped out. She loves to dance, but started to lose that love a little bit this year. I wanted to leave after last year because there was some drama and issues it would take too long to get into, but decided to stay because all her friends were there. I resolved that we would leave if she ever became unhappy, and she has been this year. She's been bullied and physically pushed by another little girl, but nothing will be done because she's one of the studio owner's favorites. She's not the only one who has had problems with this child either -- I can name at least 5 off the top of my head who have also had problems with her. During the recital I heard from another mom chaperoning that this child asked another child how she could "be so stupid," and made another child cry. During rehearsal she spit on DD's best friend. There is a ton of favoritism at that place, to the point where the studio owner told all the girls that one of the senior girls had a solo in the company piece because she was the best dancer. Way to foster team spirit. Next thing you know, we'll be sticking Abby Lee Miller's pyramid up on the wall. Of course the best dancer will often get a solo part and it's understood that they are the best or one of the best, but it's never blatantly stated. Even my DD said, "I don't think it was right of her to say that out loud." My DS who is often stuck there with me until DH can pick him up asked, "Why do the kids of the people who work there get to run around, run in and out of classrooms, yell, scream, and misbehave and they don't get in trouble, but anyone else does?" When these things are obvious enough for my 7 and 8 year-old kids to see, there are problems at that place.

 

I'm also concerned that they don't take care of the dancers. She had a 2 1/2 hour rehearsal for opening number and no water break. That's not healthy at all. I had to pull her as she was going between classrooms to take a couple sips and she was all worried she was going to get in trouble because the teacher didn't call a break.