Come & join me in general chat all you patents of performers - be it dancers, actors, singers or musicians

My dd likes to be the best at everything. When she isn't (sport is a particular downfall of hers) she gets really upset with herself! So funny!

Mine have all just danced at a fete and I'm shattered. Even the four year old did her solo. Performance is so important in our house. It's like a religion!

Pictures Mind you, I know several somewhat well known actors and musicians who didn't do anything remotely like the really driven kids do now. Clearly there are multiple ways to crack an omelette. :) None of them are dancers though. Well, not really.

Hello. DD2 is doing Panto for the 4th year running this Xmas. She's also got a biggish (for her age) role in a production at our local big theatre at half term. And one ballet and two music exams towards the end of term. So it's all go! DD1 is also in the half term production but not the Panto (she doesn't/can't dance but she had a major role in a production in the summer, where all she had to do was sing and prowl a bit which was ideal really). She will also have two music exams - possibly 3 but I might put my foot down - at the end of term. And various concerts, auditions etc.

I think that Dd1 will become a professional musician, I doubt that Dd2 will become a professional performer but I might be wrong. My doubts aren't based on her talent (although that's not to say that I think she is uber talented, just that it's not that I think she is rubbish, you know? I think she's fine. Better than some, not as good as some) but on the fact that as a family we can't facilitate her ambitions in the way that some of the families we know manage with their kids. I also think that she isn't actually as single minded as you need to be - it's not just stage/dance for her, she won't give up music, and she likes to be top of the top table (still at primary school) so, unless something gives, she won't give herself the time thats needed to devote to gambling on a professional career. But for now she's having a lot of fun. Which was kind of the point. :)

TBH I think it's wise to allow access to internet earlyish when you can still insist on viewing everything. DS2 doesn't have FB, but he does use boring minecraft forums. He's allowed to providing I get email alerts of posts and I can check all his posts whenever I want (I check daily/every other dayish). When he's older I won't be able to do that. That way he's learning to be safe online.

Well at the risk of getting flamed- DD has FB. They all seem to keep in contact via Instagram, tumblr, what's app, vine, pheed, etc. All are accounts linked to my phone so that I see everything.

Not that I snoop, but I do keep an eye out for anything inappropriate.

I know I said almost nothing, and what I said was nice but :paranoia: Your post is fine though, don't worry about it.

Hello I'll join in!

DD (11) is off to full time vocational school in a week or two- think you know where Pictures we have spoken before. She has already done 2 terms but now she is going to board. I'm dreading it TBH- I will really miss her.

How is your DD feeling about her new school- is she looking forward to it?

Just to say a girl out of DDs class is swapping to Redroofs this year. It sounds lovely.

I am a licensed chaperone. Dd has been in a local variety show since she was 6 and the theatre expect parents to be licensed. I held off until last year and my mum was licensed originally because when dd first got in I was pregnant.

It's a good way of seeing more of dd. especially when she's in panto or something, which kind of takes over your life for six weeks or so!

I think my ds auditioned for that tour. He didn't get in, he was only just six and had never done an audition before but he held his own and wasnt put off which is promising!

Weird that isn't it. Maybe they're just very aware of smaller age differences - because at school they can be quite important.

Apologies for deleting the posts above btw - I just get paranoid in case I say too much about the production. I think what I said (not much) was fine, but thought I'd delete just in case.

saintly,

That's interesting about older kids. DD was very similar - fine working with the adults, and with the much older girls in her troupe (2 troupes, both provided by local dance school, usual type of thing). It was the big bunch of girls a year older than her that she had real trouble with - the more so because she's not 'obviously younger' - tall, sensible, mature. had she been a cute dot, things might have been different. Her 'twin' in the other troupe with whom she shared costumes was 5 years older!

Hm I might look into it! The chaperones have always seemed to have fun.

Oh that's good. Did you have to do a council course? I was wondering about it after hearing that the local theatre had problems getting chaperones for ds2's first professional show. The production company had left it a bit last minute (NOT for the production mentioned above - they were extremely professional). We live so close to the (large regional) theatre I wondered whether it might be a way to earn a bit of extra cash.

Oh chaperoning looks fun, how did you get into it/start doing it? Ds2's latest chaperone was fab, straight out of drama school, in the west end as a kid. Gave ds2 lots of advice - including the need to think about ways to make money - he now wants to be a chaperone when older (he'd be good at it! He's great with younger kids!)