To think it’s not ‘cruel’ to take DD to the gym at 7.30am

[Eastie77Returns]

I attend an early gym class every Saturday morning. I leave the house around 7am.

I leave DS and DD at home with DP. He takes DS to football practice around 9am and DD tags along but she has become increasingly unhappy about having to go. I therefore gave her 2 other choices: come to the gym with with me or stay at home alone for 10/15 minutes as I’m home from the gym by 9.15-am latest. This morning I asked her what she wanted to do (I gave her the options earlier in the week so she had time to consider). She began complaining loudly saying none of the options were good ones and she just wanted me to stay at home with her. I explained that I was not prepared to miss my class and in the end she decided to come with me. As we were leaving DP began muttering that’s it’s unfair and cruel to drag her to a gym at the crack of dawn when Saturday morning should be her down time.

If it makes any difference, it’s a David Lloyd gym. DD is a member and she enjoyed a breakfast in the restaurant area and read a book while I did my class. She played with another girl in the play area and the two of them have signed up for a taster kids class so she was fine. But I’ve now received a text from my dad saying he’s heard (obviously from DP) from that “poor DD is being dragged to a gym on Saturdays” so she can stay with him on Friday evenings if she prefers. Obviously I would be expected to drop off and pick her up. I said no.

AIBU to think this is a load of fuss about absolutely nothing?

@sheoaouhra

thing is op knows her body and what it needs better than you. She said this particular class benefits her so therefore she NEEDS to keep doing it. It really is that simple

She hasn't forced her daughter to do anything. Her daughter chose to get up and join her and had a great time to boot.

How awful

We can see the parents of the useless, self entitled adults in the making. God help when they get to uni/work and discover that everyone in the world doesn't bend over backwards to accommodate them.
They'll be starring in future posts about my nightmare flatmate/colleague.
Yes, our children should be a priority but they need to learn that they have to work with others people and their needs aren't the only ones.
Some replies here are wild, being a parent doesn't mean sacrificing yourself and being a slave to your kids.

she can choose that, OR she can choose to be frightened. Not really a choice, is it

@sheoaouhra

and she made the choice to go the gym where she had a good time

Or she can choose to go with her father and brother at 9.

And if you have a medical condition, and a class a week helps you feel well, you should do it. Feeling better makes for a better mother overall.

My kids are older now but I would advise any young mother to not give up as much of themselves as I did. No-one, from childhood, taught me that my needs mattered and were important too. A much better example to set children is that they parents too, because one day, they may be parents.

I mean, in the nicest way, so what? She's 11 - she doesn't always have to do something amazingly wonderful and fun. So if she doesn't want to stay home then yes, she does need to just suck it up.

It is not about amazing and wonderful and fun. It is about her precious Saturday morning down time. Every single saturday. That is HUGE.

@sheoaouhra

i don’t think you can’t get anymore ‘down time’ than sitting and chilling in a nice cafe for an hour - hardly stressful and taxing is it?!

It's two hours where can 11 year old isn't doing exactly what she wants - big fucking whoop.

Why are you so triggered by this? What's REALLY going on?

Sorry that should read screen free time! Unfortunate typo (or not)

@LimeAnkles at 10.04

Love that summary

Organised parents who don't drag their kids out at 7am on a weekend so tthey can do a fitness sesh once a week aren't 'martyrs'. Fixed that for you.

/// to be fair though OP has said on numerous occasions DD can chill at home for 15 minutes. And she will be totally fine.

You are very fixated on the gym thing and pretty judgy about your perceived view of OPs lack of organising .

Putting things in capital letters doesn't make them true. Being up by 7.30 is not abusive. It's not even that early.

op has other stuff going on in the week though. Like you know work, the kids activities etc. if she could make another class she would but she has been clear that this is the only one that works. So what now? She gives it up do you think?

///

Ahh but most of us aren't as organised as that poster

Yep poor kid. 'It's Friday yayy. Oh. I've to accompany dm to her vair important amazeballs class (once a week only for reasons unknown) at 7am in the morning. Again. Great'.

That would be the dad who could make the whole situation disappear if he addressed his unwillingness to drive whether it be fear or just bone idleness?

I’ve been wondering this since the beginning of the thread. Both @Janiie and @sheoaouhra seem to have some serious underlying issues.

Whatever the reason, more drivers on the road does not actually make problems disappear for anyone in the whole human race

Why did you ask if your kid accompanying you to a 7am class on a Sat is ok if you couldn't cope with responses? Your df thinks it's crap, does he have issues?

Your dh needs sorting out and your dd needs her confidence boosting so she's happy to be left, why hasn't that happened? But I'm the one with issues. Riiiiiight. Just a parent who manages to keep fit without adhering to a once a week class <at DL> and dragging a dc with me.

Why, because we disagree with your priorities as a parent? We have "serious underlying issues" because we dont believe you should be putting your daughter in this position because of some extravagant, unnecessary and totally replaceable gym class?

You asked for opinions. My opinion is I agree with your husbands word "cruel"

Are you seriously going to do this to her every single Saturday? This is her down time after a week of school. I would understand if you had to go to work, and she needed to go to a child minder or something, but for a gym class?

Why dont you book a personal trainer to come to your house instead? you obviously have lots of money

If you click on 'quote' at the bottom of a post it quotes the post you're referring to. No need for /// and it's also clearer who you are responding to.

I agree OP, some posters have a very odd take on things. I wonder if this is because you’re going to do a fitness class in a gym, something which seems to blow the minds of a large percentage of the population.