DD is 7.5. Frankly she is driving me to despair with some of her behaviour, but one battle that I've had enough of is the weekly swimming lesson. She's been going since she was about 4 or 5 yrs old, and has had a very good but quite strict teacher for about 18 months. The class has other girls her age who she seems to like, and when she is in the lesson she seems to love it. She is average within the group. The teacher has always been pleased with her because she tries hard.
But she has developed a resistance to going to the lesson that is wearing me out. The night before the lesson day she starts by telling me how she's not going. Then in the morning she'll create a drama about it, and by the time for the lesson she is frequently crying. She did this last week, and I offered the choice of staying or going - and she stayed, but was very weepy until she actually got in the pool. Then she was grinning and larking around. The same battle of wits has started again tonight, with her telling me that I can't make her go, and I just want to throw in the towel.
My gut feeling is that she is that she finds swimming hard work and because it doesn't come easy she wants to give up.
I've paid for the whole term, but it's not really about the money. It's just that I don't know whether I should let her choose and therefore lose the opportunity to develop her swimming - or should I keep putting on the pressure? To be honest I do find her behaviour makes me feel angry and that she is somehow letting me down - which is why I'm posting. I need some objective advice, PLEASE! My dp thinks I should let her choose simply because the reality is that I can't force her anyway, and I'm beginning to think that might be the only sane approach.
Sorry this is long. It follows the battles to keep her going to ballet and piano (both of which have bitten the dust) I feel quite upset but am not sure why it is affecting me like this.