Turnign down invites ot parties on saturday mornings.. because, what is the point of paying for Ballet??

[DabblesInDabbles]

dd has had 3 invites to parties alkready this term, 2 of which are on saturday morning. have said yes to two, but third one am going to turn down as ...well.. really what is the point of paying if she never goes?

I know its bad she will miss party, but she doesnt know the girl really at all....

I'll respond .

Depends on what your DD will enjoy more, if she will really be distraught at missing the party, and so she misses the paid-for ballet, well that's life.

OTOH if ballet is her life, well let her miss the party.

We pay for Saturday swimming for DS1 and 2, and if it's a nice day, we take them out and go for a drive, or just let them go to a park.

it is a sunk-cost after-all...

Message withdrawn

what is the point in paying for ballet?

Fark the ballet.
Is she going to be a ballet dancer? I mean really?
All these kids doing a million and one clubs isn't it just a tad precious?

I think there are too many parties. People have huge parties inviting every Tom, Dick or Harry and it fills up too many weekends.

YABU, let her have fun with her friends, learning how to interact and socialise with her peers away from school will do her more good in the long run than bloody ballet lessons!

What does she want?

Surely it's up to her whether she goes to the parties or ballet?

Message withdrawn

This is why I moved DS's swimming from Saturday at 11.30 - it was prime party time, but at the time the only time I could get for lessons. He is now Thursday at 5.30. Loads of people (he is 7) now do that thing of taking them to see the cheap Saturday morning film followed by pizza hut or picnic in the park or whatever.

So I presume they are going to be tennis players then Cod?

I have never ever heard of parties being held on saturday mornings - strikes me as quite odd!

I personally would prefer DD to be going to friend's parties than ballet lessons if I am honest.

I don't have Dd doing any paid-upfront activites at weekends at all, as she would end up missing too many because of parties and weekends/days away.

I can't personally see any long term detriment to DD not doing the likes of ballet or whatever on a weekend, but I can see the benefits of going to her friend's parties and social things.

We have been to parties after school, and weekend mornings (inc Sunday mornings) and afternoons. So, none seem odd to us.

We've been really lucky so far with the timing of parties - dd has ballet on Saturday morning and swimming on Sunday. She likes doing these herself, but also have slightly selfish reasons too as dp isn't around much it gives me a bit of time on these days to go to the gym / have a swim. As I work nearly full time we have to fit things into the weekend it's too hard to do after school stuff.

We'd miss ballet for a good friends party, probably not for one of those invite everyone type from someone she wasn't particularly friends with. She has a good time running around with her friends at ballet too, including friends from other schools she doesn't see otherwise. Swimming is more expensive and an individual lesson so it would have to be something really good to miss that. We did miss loads of ballet (in fact nearly all of it) over the summer though for holidays.

People say though that a bit older (she's 5) and they start having much smaller parties.

Ah - cheaper cinema, cheaper time for pizza etc. Must be a result of the credit crunch!

Message withdrawn

That level of activities sounds a miserable way to live to me cod, I'd be getting them to choose.

WE let DS do one winter sport (rugby) and one summer (tennis), he can choose but only one.

I'm not spending my weekends runing around from activity to activity. When would you chill? When would they play? With their toys, and in the garden? When/how would you see friends? All go out on your bikes?

Seriously, miserable.

[unfurls banner] This is what Cod's ds's LIKE doing. I am also shocked but supportive given lack of sporting prowess in this house.

DD does ballet on Monday after school, BUT now has to do another lesson Saturday lunch time. It's a killer. Apparently they are doing an exam. An exam! In ballet! I feel very mutinous and muttery about it, she is delighted. Traitor.

I'm sure they LIKE it, but as a parent I would decide on their behalf that it was not the way we as a family wanted to live.

My DS is sports mad and if left to him he would do rugby, football, karate, golf, tennis and cricket.

We knew we didn't want to live in an overly rigid organised manner and wanted time for other stuff, so say 'no', and one sport in winter one in summer.(only one at a time)

Each to their own,but it's not how I'd want to live myself, and not the way I'd want DS to fill all his time no matter how much he at the moment wants to do everything.