I cannot stand watching my child do dance /shows !

My mum and dad only had to watch one Highland Dancing exhibition. I was rubbish at it and - no doubt to the relief of the instructor - gave up after a year.

This is a wonderful thread! 🤣🤣🤣

My kids used to act out bedtime stories, after a long working day for me, too. I did sometimes hurry them up. But now they’re adults we all have such fond memories of that time.

Yes, when all the cousins get together there is often a play or a dance! 🤣 We prefer the dances as they are quicker and a bit more entertaining. The plays are awful and mind numbing. 😩 So we try to coax them to do a dance which is better for the parents and grandparents! 😂

Book them into theatre groups?

Support her by showing interest. Harness her talents and passions, you don’t know what they’ll lead to.

That's so lovely to hear.

I think it depends on if any of the ‘shows’ are any good?

My DH’s Cousin’s son is the young child actor from Adolescence. Owen had always been sporty (he’d previously been on the books at Everton’s Academy) and was always a shy, quiet young lad, so it was quite surprising when he essentially ‘fell into’ acting. Thankfully, he was supported by his parents all the way, with no pressure and zero expectations, just encouragement to keep doing something he enjoyed and showed some innate talent in. And here we are in 2026, he’s the winner of multiple prestigious industry awards, an upcoming role alongside Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi in a Hollywood Blockbuster and a number of other projects on the pipeline.

I think for me I’d say if your kid is objectively awful (off key singing/no rhythm/timing in dancing/emoting as much as a wooden fence panel when acting etc), I think it’s actually more harmful to lie to them and give them a false sense of their abilities. I’d be trying to encourage them into exploring other activities that may be better suited to their skills, whilst not completely trampling their self confidence obviously!

However, if they do have some potential in acting/dancing/singing, I’d be looking into clubs/coaches etc to encourage and foster their raw talent. Our Owen is a shining example of just what can be achieved…

Surely as a parent you should encourage them in their passion? And enjoy watching them do what they love? Having said that I’ve seen parents take an excessive interest in their passion (especially for talented kids) and keep pushing longer after the kids want to quit!

I should add that she was also a perfectionist so it would be a highly rehearsed approx 3 minute show. Not like an hour or anything!

Does she do dance at a club and do shows there? I used to love watching my dd’s made up dance shows but that probably stopped by the time she was 7 ish and she did annual dance shows at a club from 4 onwards. Loved watching her, still do. Am biased but she is a good dancer. Having said that I like it much better when I also like the music!

How long does this really take up of your time in practice?

You'd be surprised. My kids will frequently ask me to watch a show they've made up and once it gets going it becomes clear that they've discussed the initial premise and who their characters are going to be but have then got distracted with costumes, props, music etc and quite forgotten to work out the actual plot. The result is freeform improvisation that meanders on and on for an eternity as they neither of them know how to end the bloody thing. I've learned now as soon as I hear "muuuuum, can we do a show for you?" to respond immediately with "yes but not until you've worked out your ending!"

aw you should be happy she likes doing it!

Quite! My 4yo is really into drawing - she sometimes sits down for a good while and draws fab pictures (for a 4yo) which I genuinely love and shower her with praise and pin them on the walls. Other days I get a pile of rapidly scribbled smiley faces piled up next to me whilst I wash up... I say "ah that's lovely, thank you!" and praise her for concentrating for so long on drawing, but my enthusiasm is massively toned down. I don't know why you wouldn't do the same for other artsy pursuits like dancing..!

So many typo's in my post. My own mother would not be patting on the back for my performance 😂

You don't have to share their passion, but are you saying if they said 'look mummy's, done a rubbish cartwheel, fell off the beam and done a sideways roll instead of a forwards roll, but looked so proud of their performance, you would not 'pat them on the back', clapp or tell them well done?

Fucking hell. You sound like the mum with the kid with the high IQ!

You are being unreasonable. I am really not a particularly indulgent parent, but I love it when any of my kids show me something they have learned or practiced.

How long does this really take up of your time in practice?

I recall going to the Dance School show on the day of the Cricket World Cup final, lots of people watching their phones!
One evening many years ago daughter was singing in a concert at her school, it was the very first time my OH, her father, had taken any interest in football, he had to miss the concert because England were in the World Cup semi final!

Ahh my worst is crafts. I am shit at crafts. I don't know how to make or draw anything. I have no craft imagination. I find it really tough to do anything crafty at all.

Not ours but DNephew/nieces!! I enjoy what they do but having to sit through a whole ensemble from every age range,dance style the dance school does, and iften at high ticket costs, no thanks! Glad they are all grown up now!

It is not ‘disdain’ for the arts. Art is wonderful once skill has been honed! Not so much being forced to watch an 8 year old give you an hour personal Taylor Swift concert when you really should be getting dinner on.

I’m sure the most ardent football fan wouldn’t have been enthralled watching a four year old Bukayo Saka hoofing a ball round a park for 90 minutes. A 20-something Saka is a different story.

You should all try having DC and an adult relative who has discovered amateur dramatics in middle age!

Now, in addition to driving all over the county to freeze my arse off watching DS play football and listening to DD play the same songs on the piano over and over for hours, I also have to spend saturday evenings watching a bunch of adults hammimg it up in extremely earnest but slightly shambolic productions of Abigail's Party or The Cherry Orchard.

Oh, for goodness' sake. We know. We watch children's performances.
We enjoy many and paste a smile on our face for some. [Special mention for the S1 percussion group...]

Some of my pupils became music teachers; others became professional musicians. I supported umpteen school performances, both dramatic and musical. I had the pleasure of working in a school where the pipe band were Junior World Champions umpteen times.

As others have said, this is a lighthearted thread. I still think that I deserve a medal for sitting through those percussion group performances...

Karate for my DS - Saturday , Wednesday and some Sundays which was a longer day . Add in the travelling time too .

One of his clubs , parents were expected to sit and watch , it is noisy , you cannot chat to other parents as it distracts the students .

And you get to wash a manky karate suit after !