I cannot stand watching my child do dance /shows !

[5490t]

Now I know what I put my parents through when I was a kid (which they also agree with ) and how mind numbingly boring it was for them to endure. My 12 year old regularly shows me dances /songs/ shows anything drama she's created with her self/ her siblings god it's so mind numbing to sit and entertain.
I know I'm being unreasonable but nope can't stand that part of parenting anyone else with me ?

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

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.

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.

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.

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…!

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 🙏

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?!

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.

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.

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

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

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.

Absolutely not willing th you!
Won't last forever.

I’m the baby of my family, far behind my siblings. They never wanted anything to do with me. And I was always too young to join in with anything they did.
I knew very early on not to bother my mum - that’s just how it was, so it wasn’t some crushing horrible detail in my childhood - it just was.
Mum was good to me but she was not a warm, loving person to anyone.

I just entertained myself. I even had an imaginary friend.
That also meant my siblings couldn’t share in all my accomplishments - they remained on the periphery. That just was, as well. They made that choice when I was little.
Now, I enjoy being by myself - I relish my solitude.
And the people who chilled me out all those years ago can’t figure out why I don’t need them in my life nowadays.
You made sure I didn’t need you in my life - it was your choice, not mine, all those many years ago.
Life has an odd way of working out.

My two love a show. Today it was "slipper magic" where they pull a bunch of random stuff out of a slipper. They tried to pretend to pull the cat out of it at one point (she was completely fine) and I was in hysterics. I love it when they put on a show.

This made me absolutely holler.

I did this for my mum for hours and hours too!

ha. Brilliant. Thank you for bringing a smile to my face and being honest! Epic post OP!

I agree .. in theory l am proud of the talents my kids have had and on the surface am enthusiastic and encouraging…but inside l feel like a small part of me just wants to close my eyes and sleep when at events surrounding the said talents ! Also hello to all the mums who who look down on other mums for feeling this way …l’m very happy for you if you don’t !

My cousin and I used to put on silly skits at our Nana’s house in her back yard for Nana’s sisters and their husbands and a ragtag group of their friends.
We had an old record player and some 60s records that we never added to - we just switched up our acts hahaha.
It was more getting together and Nana would help us bake cookies or cakes for the occasion.
Thinking back it makes me smile - my Nana is gone and we lost my beloved cousin to cancer.

So those skits were most certainly painfully stupid and amateurish, but I hold the memory of them right close to my heart. ❤️

Brilliant! I used to make up news stories and random adverts on mine 🤣

I'm not sure I was smart enough to make up news stories but I definitely remember lots of random adverts... which were mainly for my favourite types of sweets if I recall!

What would you prefer? They just go to their rooms and you don't see them? I'd be pleased they still wanted to engage with you.

Why have kids if you're not going to take an interest in the things they do? Surely if they're creative that's something to encourage?

Hear hear!

I feel your pain, my 10 year old daughter is into football and constantly wants me to play! And tackle her and be a goalie and kick the ball so she can be a goalie I mean this isn’t outside all the time it’s In the bloody house most the time 🙄 god I would rather her be doing a dance show any day!! 🤣