AIBU to put 3 year old DS in ballet?

[ChangingThatUsername17]

My son is 3 and does swimming lessons. I work part-time, so have a couple of free days. I'd like to put him in 1 structured class (I still get in with him for the swimming - it changes when he is 4) and I figured ballet would be good. It seems like a great sport.

DH isn't against anyone doing ballet and would 100% support him if he chose that, but is telling me that I should pick something that's more 'safe' (due to him not having a preference) so there's no potential for teasing, judging, him feeling insecure, etc.

I've explained that he's little and can change whenever he has a preference and that it's a good sport for his age. He thinks it's silly to do it to him when he could do something like gymnastics.

Who is right?

[Sashkin]

Depends a lot on the class, and in how mature your son is. I did ballet at that age and I really wasn't very good at keeping in time or moving slowly and gracefully - I just wanted to run about and jump on things. I swapped to gymnastics which was a bit more rough and tumble, and it suited me much better. A general preschool dance class would have been fine too, but ballet was too regimented for me at that age. Him being a boy has nothing to do with it though, there were plenty of boys in my ballet class and practically none in gymnastics.

Having said that I went back to ballet when I was older and loved it, and still do a couple of dance classes a week now in my late 30s (one ballet, one Graham technique). I just wasn't mature enough to follow the instructions in ballet until I was about 8.

[TrollMummy]

I don't see what harm it can do to give it a try. It's great for balance, coordination, musicality and movement and general fitness.