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Elementary school "dances" - all the rage (but sends me into a rage)


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When I was in elementary school (I'm 32) we didn't have 'dances'... there were a few "sock hops" (they called them) in the gym, on a Friday afternoon or whatever, I remember that - but it was old music being played while kids ran around with balls and climbed the jungle gym thing and jumped on the trampoline. None of us was the least bit interested in "dancing". :lol:

 

The ps that dd12 went to for her first few years never had dances either.. but the local Boys & Girls club held them regularly and we passed. I don't think there's any need for it - you want to have an activity time, go ahead. Set something up on a Saturday - games, drama, facepainting, ball pit, snacks, scavenger hunt, etc etc. :)

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I was in school. Jr. High, 7th, 8th, 9th grade ~ yes.

 

I think if the purpose of holding a dance for youngins is to teach them social graces: how to ask a member of the opposite sex to dance, how to accept or decline gracefully, how to actually dance appropriately, that would be fine and dandy.

 

If the dance consists of disco balls, lowered lights and adults standing in the corners or not actively supervising, then no.

I had one in the equivalent of your 5th grade. It was just like this. We all learnt to waltz and the boys had to learn to ask a girl to dance and vice versa. I'm pretty sure parents came too and I still remember it as a fabulous night. I danced almost all night with the same boy but we were more interested in seeing how fast we could get around the dance floor while still waltzing than any boy-girl stuff :lol:

 

All 3 of my kids have been to dances. They are reasonably innocent affairs though, I haven't really seen anything other than good clean fun. Perhaps the adultisation of children isn't quite so bad here?

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Honestly, all that stuff was going on when I was that age.

<snip>

ETA: the dances when I was a kid were, indeed, heavily chaperoned, but it didn't really matter, 'cause the girls were all grouped on one side of the room and the boys on the other, lol... no "dancing" going on... ;)

 

:iagree:

Back in 1977 at a Catholic school, we had our 8th grade dance. Everyone went, but there was only 1 couple. The girls were on one side and the boys were on the other. If anyone danced (other than the one couple who was not allowed to be closer than arms length) it was with their friends. Usually the girls danced. However, I do remember several boys dancing (the typical class clowns) trying to attract attention. They reminded me of the birds on those nature shows who do all sorts of ridiculous things to attract the attention of a mate. Most of those boys were not successful. It was all very tame and well supervised.

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Sounds like there's just about everything under the Sun going on out there--good, bad and otherwise. What a mix!

 

Gee, I'm so sheltered, ha!

 

I'm kinda old, but we still had the dope in school, cat fights in the restrooms, bullies, kids trying to out-swear one another, etc etc...

 

I was beat up/pushed around in the locker room and threatened by a gang that ran around in Middle School.

 

(In other words, my PS experience was far from innocent.)

 

Irony is, we didn't have dances. Hmmm....

 

Fast forward to 2009, I still worry about the young girls out there, these days.

 

Best wishes, all!

 

Kim

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