I cannot stand watching my child do dance /shows !

You sound lovely!

My son does swimming and I do find it enjoyable to see just how capable and skilled he seems when he’s in the water.

Its just watching a billion other kids swim up and down for hours that I don’t enjoy!

It may sound harsh but I’m with you! Watching your kids perform and express themselves, either at home just for you or as part of a group/ hobby/ at school is one of the absolute joys of being a parent!

My kids do football and cross country (mainly DS14 at the moment) and it’s the exact opposite for me. Absolutely love watching them. I find his skills and ability genuinely impressive. Cross country races can get quite stressful, is he going to get injured, is he going to finish (never showed up at the finish in a big race last November, had twisted his ankle at the far point of the course so we were stuck not knowing what had happened) and worrying about migraines which he’s started sometimes having after exercise. But never boring that’s for sure!

I was terrible for this as a child. Obsessed with putting on plays and musical performances. Must have been infuriating for my mum. I staged a whole production of the rocky horror show, Oliver Twist, wrote a play about some eagles and one based on ‘the young ones’ used to pretend to be the band Queen with my siblings and put on concerts. It was never ending. I remember I friends mum looking bored stiff during one of many plays.

There have been about half a dozen occasions, when at my mil’s house, when my nieces declared ‘we’re going to do a talent show’.
I was out of that house within 30 seconds.

I understand but you will miss it when it stops. My DD’s used to concoct dance routines when they were younger and I thankfully filmed a few because they’re teens now and wouldn’t be seen dead. They did used to go on and on, lockdown was particularly bad for it! But sweet nevertheless now they’re older and too cool for anything of the sort.

Lucky! My daughter is a dancer and in the competition team. 8 hours of competition dance for 6 minutes of her dancing 😂

I go to see my nieces dance shows to give them my support and show love but OMG are they boring! Expensive too, they're put on in theaters so all us suckers - sorry - lucky viewers, are charged at least £25 each for the privilege to watch loads of children dancing. My nieces are probably only on stage for about 15 mins in a two hour odd show.

cannot stand watching my child do dance /shows

> Do the easy thing, watch somebody ELSES child do dance / shows Turn up, show support and willing to YOUR child - clap and make noises in all the right places. Focus your attention on, somebody elses child
Probably IN the circle anyway

Four girls in my household (two have SEN) We had constant 'shows' when they were little, I used to narrate a storyline and they would dress up and act it out, the laughs we had will never be forgotten - mainly because we have some of it on old video tapes! 😅
We still occasionally watch them, even though all of the girls are grown up and we still laugh at them every, single time.
One day I'm sure you'll look back and remember it all with rose tinted glasses..

My only child, AuDHD, 12, insists on me watching every goal he's ever scored on Fifa 2016-2026 and plays it over and over again in slo mo until my eyes burn and my soul leaves my body. Dance recital seems like lost heaven to me 🙄

Don't worry about feeling negative. My kids thought I was the best audience member ever . Even the guinea pig circus . So funny / bad / ridiculous I had to clap and cheer loudly. Easily done for your kids . Most shows didn't last too long anyway .

I feel your pain, my 10 year old daughter is into football and constantly wants me to play! And tackle her and be a goalie and kick the ball so she can be a goalie I mean this isn’t outside all the time it’s In the bloody house most the time 🙄 god I would rather her be doing a dance show any day!! 🤣

Hear hear!

Why have kids if you're not going to take an interest in the things they do? Surely if they're creative that's something to encourage?

What would you prefer? They just go to their rooms and you don't see them? I'd be pleased they still wanted to engage with you.

I'm not sure I was smart enough to make up news stories but I definitely remember lots of random adverts... which were mainly for my favourite types of sweets if I recall!

Brilliant! I used to make up news stories and random adverts on mine 🤣

My cousin and I used to put on silly skits at our Nana’s house in her back yard for Nana’s sisters and their husbands and a ragtag group of their friends.
We had an old record player and some 60s records that we never added to - we just switched up our acts hahaha.
It was more getting together and Nana would help us bake cookies or cakes for the occasion.
Thinking back it makes me smile - my Nana is gone and we lost my beloved cousin to cancer.

So those skits were most certainly painfully stupid and amateurish, but I hold the memory of them right close to my heart. ❤️

I agree .. in theory l am proud of the talents my kids have had and on the surface am enthusiastic and encouraging…but inside l feel like a small part of me just wants to close my eyes and sleep when at events surrounding the said talents ! Also hello to all the mums who who look down on other mums for feeling this way …l’m very happy for you if you don’t !

This made me absolutely holler.

I did this for my mum for hours and hours too!

ha. Brilliant. Thank you for bringing a smile to my face and being honest! Epic post OP!

My two love a show. Today it was "slipper magic" where they pull a bunch of random stuff out of a slipper. They tried to pretend to pull the cat out of it at one point (she was completely fine) and I was in hysterics. I love it when they put on a show.

I’m the baby of my family, far behind my siblings. They never wanted anything to do with me. And I was always too young to join in with anything they did.
I knew very early on not to bother my mum - that’s just how it was, so it wasn’t some crushing horrible detail in my childhood - it just was.
Mum was good to me but she was not a warm, loving person to anyone.

I just entertained myself. I even had an imaginary friend.
That also meant my siblings couldn’t share in all my accomplishments - they remained on the periphery. That just was, as well. They made that choice when I was little.
Now, I enjoy being by myself - I relish my solitude.
And the people who chilled me out all those years ago can’t figure out why I don’t need them in my life nowadays.
You made sure I didn’t need you in my life - it was your choice, not mine, all those many years ago.
Life has an odd way of working out.

Absolutely not willing th you!
Won't last forever.