I cannot stand watching my child do dance /shows !

I had a breakdown listening to a song the other night. Picturing my son as a toddler and weeping that I've spent too much of these years working. He's now an adult and I desperately regret not spending every minute with him.

I make my mother and aunt come up to London from their homes 100 miles away, everytime my DD has a play. Delegate.

I live with a family whose daughter and her friends do these little shows. I think it's sweet and I love it.

I absolutely LOVED the random shit that DD used to perform with her friends in the garden (and once, memorably, in the street). They were a heady mix of self-conscious and uninhibited and a bit mad. I have very fond memories of an earnest dance interpretation of Sia's Chandelier on our patio. Very good value.

But sitting through two hours of po-faced ballet to see your own child tiptoe round in a circle for two minutes? No thanks.

Oh god this has brought back an awful memory. One Christmas I decided to put on a show for my mum and I based it on the showgirls that were on tv at the time with the big feather boas.

I draped tinsel around myself and strutted about doing the can can and various show girl moves. All was going well until I put my tinsel around mums neck and copied the seductive tease thing they did while shaking imaginary boobs. To this day I remember the look of horror and discomfort on her face.

Oh I didn't know that! Might have to brush up my CV!

I've also just remembered that I also produced a 'magazine' to go alongside my radio show - TMFT! The Magazine For Tomorrow! - which I did monthly on my mum's old typewriter. And the BBC are all about multimedia platforms now aren't they? Surely I'll be a shoo-in?!

As someone who loved dancing and singing as a child who had parents who told them to "be quiet, stop singing, sounds like a cat is being strangled" and had the most disinterested face while I would excitedly dance and show them dances I put together. I am now 30 years old and signed up to the local theatre a few years ago after years of watching theatre shows in awe. I sing around my house all the time and my children comment how much they love it. I have recently signed up for ballet classes after never being able to do them as a child... Perhaps it is just something they enjoy? I don't want to put a dampener and I agree as parents there are some thing that are more tedious than others for sure... But I would say try not to express it too much because it could be the start of something they absolutely love. My daughter is now a dancer/actor/performer and I admire the whole entire work of it, she loves rehearsing, performing, designing and I just wish I had that encouragement as a child! I don't say this to knock you or make you feel bad, just as a different perspective 🙏

Scott Mills has told how he did this as a child, tape played only to his mum. He’s now host of Radio two breakfast show. So, you never know…!

I love it when my 2 put on their “dance kids” shows! I also loved doing them as a kid.

TBF any game which isn’t a fight with me having to referee is enjoyable and rare.

what I can’t bear is watching or god help me actually joining in with video games. I’m crap at them and they bore me to death.

Dance competitions have taught my daughter so much. It was worth every ‘4 hours for a 3 min dance’. Doesn’t mean I haven’t regularly whinged about it all though!

She’s coming to the end of her dancing school now and her final show is this summer. There have been ups and downs but watching her do something she loves fills me with joy.

Imagine sitting through a whole formal dance competition, hearing the same tune over & over again. We parents were practically on intravenous headache pills! Still, it was worth it to keep her out of trouble as she approached adolescence & she went on fantastic trips I could never have afforded.

I think we all look back and wish we’d been kinder / more patient / insert whatever adjective, but the fact that some parents wish they’d been <whatever> doesn’t make kids shows / imaginary play / ‘look at me mummy!’ (Much beloved of ds at the moment - I have taken to asking ‘ds, what am I supposed to be looking at? as most of the time he’s just stood there!) any the more enthralling

If you can encourage them and find a good dance school...I promise it could become something everyone looks forwards to. I have had years of enduring painful violin practice or watching terrible dance and gym routines but practice makes perfect. One day it all clicks - they find a hobby they love and then excel at. I now love watching my son perform in gigs and music festivals (he got into Brit school to study music) and my daughter is going to World of Dance finals to represent the UK in LA this summer. Seeing her solos, trios and her dance squad performances at dance competitions is so much fun...she would have been on BGT but one of the schools wouldn't give permission for her squad mates to miss 1 day of school, so they couldn't get the license to film. It has brought her so much confidence, strength/stamina, pride and amazing friendships and keeps her from being glued to a screen.

I can’t lie, being subjected to friend’s children ‘performing’ endless dance shows I was expected to sit and be enthusiastic about was absolutely a factor in me knowing I didn’t want children.

Thankfully my kids didn't do this. Me, my sister and cousins used to make our parents sit through many (obviously absolutely brilliant) shows that we put together.
They used to watch us but I feel sorry for them now, must of been so boring.

Agree with this I am sat here now feeling a bit crap because it has got me thinking how I could and should have been a better mum. I have a good relationship with my son but OMG I want those years back 😥

I felt the same but mine is grown up now. I remember he was doing something at school which he wouldn't shut up about but I found the conversations mind numbingly boring Then I found out from someone else just how much this meant to him and how invested he was. Chokes me up even now just thinking about how disinterested I was to begin with. No judgement from me though I have been there

I remeber me and my cousins doing shows and asking everyone to come and watch. I feel like I need to send a written apology, it sounds like hell to watch talentless children do a shitty play.

I have very strong memories of tripping over my words and have to rerecord sections! (And the amount of times the tape would get caught up around the spools of the recorder and I would have to use a pencil to unhook it and roll it back up again!) I had all sorts of different 'spots' too, like 'Guess the Sound' (usually one of the three cats and my parents weren't allowed to say "A cat" they had to work out WHICH cat, obviously!) and 'Guess the Song?' based off just the introduction to some music. I also seem to recall doing a 'joke of the day', which given my age would probably have been some awful Christmas cracker-style puns! I am starting to feel a bit sorry for my folks after all!!

I used to do the same, loved making my own radio shows!

No, quite frankly.

Was also thinking, don’t start swimming galas, got to be the most boring events ever. Also the most uncomfortable seats and having to pay to sit and watch them.

My kids dance 4 days a week, they also compete and do a Xmas and Summer show. Competitions and shows I show up for even though they dance 3 minutes each dance and usually at least an hour between them. It can be mind numbing and to make it worse, you best believe they’re gonna show me loads of dances they’ve made up on the spot🙈

It is a privilege being a parent. Enjoy these years where she wants to share moments with you, because they go fast and before long, she'll be off into the world doing her own thing and you'll be wanting these years back.