Most girl moms dream of the day that their daughter is old enough to start dance school. Not me! When my husband and I learned that we were having a girl, I was adamant that I would not put her in dance unless she asked to do it. So, when we found out that our second bundle of joy was a girl, I doubled down on that sentiment.
I participated in dance as a little girl, but dance is a whole new animal these days. First, some of these dance school tuition, costume and recital fees are the cost of a car note. This is a major financial investment for your kid to stand on the stage with their finger up their nose on recital day! Besides the financial investment, it is a major time investment with weekly practices, fund raising, pictures and recitals. But my major turn off are the costumes. Some of the pictures I see on my timeline during recital season really bother me. These sweet little girls are dressed like video vixens with their mid drifts out, bathing suit bottoms, and a ton of make up on their little faces. I am just not a fan.
So, what changed? COVID. When COVID hit my youngest daughter was two years old. She is a very reserved and cautious child. She takes a while to warm up to new people and places. So being on lock down in the house with just her immediate family members did not particularly help her social skills. When we started venturing out of our bubble, we noticed that her social skills were lacking, and as time went on, they were not improving. My husband came up with the idea of putting her in dance to help her come out of her shell and make new friends. Luckily for us, a local dance studio close to her daycare offered affordable classes during the day so the investment was minimal.
My tiny dancer instantly found her niche, she loved it! We noticed that she started mentioning new friends and had more confidence. When the time came for her to start kindergarten, we knew that we had to find her a new dance studio closer to home. I admit, we offered to let her try different activities but she refused. She only wants to dance, so dance it is.
We visited a few studios and settled on one. As I was talking to a friend, I mentioned that my little one was starting dance, she responded excitedly “Aww! You’re a dance mom! How exciting!” And that is when it hit me…. I’m a dance mom! Reluctantly, but a dance mom, nonetheless. Just like any parent I will do anything to make my child happy and see them flourish in every aspect. So, if it means me wearing the title of dance mom… I will proudly wear it!
