I cannot stand watching my child do dance /shows !

I'm proud as punch when they perform and don't mind watching the rehearsal but some kids do this stuff as a habit and it becomes draining. It's ok to say I can't watch now just practise on your own, if it's a constant thing it becomes a form of attention seeking.

On the first day of a summer holiday in a sunny resort, after about 100 shouts of look a me look at me over an hour or two, i called my kids over. I told them I was delighted to see them jump in the pool, dive, handstand, swim underwater, splash etc etc and that I was finished watching for now and would be looking forward to the last day of holiday where I would watch them play again. It actually worked!!

My dd did the school talent show every year throughout secondary, plus a drama club play (in French), It's obviously wonderful to watch your own child perform and less so everyone else's so a necessary evil really. I am never sure where mine got her musical ability from and was a very proud mum, but glad those shows are now over.😅

Wrong. I’m from Wales. I’ve done endless Eisteddfodau (which can be all day). Loads of school performances. I just like watching kids being creative and think it’s pretty sad when people don’t. Where do you think the professional dancers, singers and actors come from?

It's really obvious you haven't been to many of these shows....

Yes it's lovely to support your child in their endeavours, but generally when they are young the kids are pretty dire, and when you have sat through 2+ hours of fairly inept kids performance and they are not even your own kids, it does get a bit tough to keep the smile plastered on your face!!

Sadly it's also the case that loads of parents encourage their kids to participate in drama /music/ performance arts but don't bother to practise at home. Kids are on stage and don't know the words to the song /can barely play the song on the instrument they are playing and you just think why are you encouraging them to perform if they don't even know the song?! How is that going to be a beneficial experience for them.

Yes we all go, we clap we smile but in all honesty it does get a bit boring when you have been to a few lol.

At least it is indoors. Football is much worse outdoors freezing, travelling across county on a Saturday morning to freeze on the sideline in a mucky field.
The mini World Cup is 3 hours.

Oh god I thought the Christmas concert I sat through would never end! My daughter did a good enough job and then a number who could properly play and sing. One kid is clearly a future professional pianist. Then there was every other bloody performance. Anyone who had auditioned had been allowed to perform. I deserved an Oscar for my poker face!

I'm sitting here chuckling.

When I was an enthusiastic young teacher, I asked whether Mum would like to come to my school's Christmas concert. (No, I wasn't a music teacher.)

Mum fixed me with a gimlet eye: "Good God. Wasn't it enough that I sat through yours?!"

It can be. DD saves her cute TikTok pet videos so she can sit with me to show me each one and explain the back story. Sometimes I am not in the mood but I’ll fake it.

I’ve been there. I appreciate the effort of all the performers.

@cardibach not when it's hours and hours no 🤣🤣🤣🤣

Some crappy responses on here.

DNx 2 used to do this and in their case it was 100% attention seeking and they’d stand there making up rubbish as they went along. So I pretended it was an audition for a real play or show and would cue them in for their turn ( 5 minutes) before interrupting them with a ‘thank you so much, we’ll be in touch’ ! It was quite effective.

YANBU.

I must be weird but I enjoyed the dance shows and would see year on year children gaining more confidance and skills.
I did however as a child put on puppet shows (with string puppets and a stage sound of music style) I would even charge the neighbours to watch!

But I bet you watch tv when you get in. Performance, whether music, dance or acting, is vital to our society. Where do you think the TV performers come from?

It’s very obvious most parents here don’t come from Wales where we sit through a whole day of Eisteddfod to watch a short performance.
Honestly, creativity is important. Singing, dancing, acting - important. Breaks my heart people view it as a chore.

I have swimmers and performers!

I'd much rather spend a day pool side watching other people's children swim than 2 hours of other people dance.

Theatre is crap? I despair, honestly.

Why? Can’t you appreciate the effort of other children?

How awful to have to watch people learning a really difficult and 8mportant skill. I despair of this country’s attitude to the arts. And yes, my DD did performance.

Dd used to go to a drama class that did a summer showcase of all the different classes (Ballet, acro, musical theatre, tap, jazz, street dance). 3 and a half hours watching other people's kids to see dd speak one line 😭

This is really sad. Creativity is important. Does your DC do music/dance lessons or belong to a theatre group? If not, join them up. Support them.

I thought this was going to be a thread about dance club shows. 4-6 hours! I couldn't understand why a dad was sat there wearing headphones with the football on his phone at my first one. I thought he was a bloody genius by the end of that experience. MIL left halfway through on the grounds that it was excessive and TBH I agreed.

My son is in his 20s now, but i still think back to the school days the school plays etc.
Thank god i dont have to deal with that crap anymore, he was never in to dance or acting he was more in to make-up and looking fab, reading romance books from the 80s.
Still is.

I agree, I now volunteer as a chaperone so I can be backstage and I don’t need to pay the ridiculous amount for tickets.

I dont mind living room shows, I do definitely mind watching 40 number dance shows where my child is only in a handful of numbers and which seemingly stretch out into infinity....