I'm outing myself as a pushy precious parent.

[choosyfloosy]

Oh dear. DS is doing ballet, is signed up for gymnastics and for proper 1:1 swimming lessons. I've also been sent away by the tennis instructor and the piano teacher as ds isn't quite old enough for these lessons....

he's three and a half.

A. Could I be any pushier?
B. Could this list of activities be any, er, less macho?

My mum shouted 'Ludicrous' at me because I'd bought ds proper ballet shoes for his lessons (all the children in the class have them and I just wanted him to be the same as them).

sigh

DD3 who is 4.11 used to do swimming, ballet and gymnastics. Then she started school. Now she does ballet and CBeebies. Tis not uncommon.

CF, DS can do a Jeremy Fisher routine like in the Tales of Beatrix Potter ballet.

phew rosa.

[buys frog mask]

Do not be led astray by the siren calls of that Rosa Luxembourg.

My ds is 7. He has an older sister. It started off innocently enough, but he now has swimming (club and distance work and galas) tennis (lessons and club and tournaments) and football (practice and galas) and piano (lessons but sadly very little practice). And that's just him. It's utter madness.

Actually Quattrocento I deliberately didn't mention what DD1 (9) and DD2(7) do .

DD1: Swimming, ballet, modern, violin, singing

DD2: Swimming, ballet, modern, tap, cello, Brownies, singing

They would like to do more stuff but I have put my foot down (and not before time, you might think).

Me too! Me too!
Dd1 drama, netball, swimming, dancing, 2 instruments.
dd2 drama, swimming dancing, choir.
Oh dear, dd2's schedule is a little slack, no?

DD 4.11 does swimming, 3 hours of dance (disco, hiphop, rock and roll and competition work) on a Saturday and she has just started gymnastics. All of which she asked to do herself.Apart from the dancing, which I sent her to as soon as she could walk. It's the same school I went to from 4 yrs to 6 month pg...oooh Just a coincidence really

Gymnastics is great for little boys, there is nothing femine about the gymnastics my son does.

Men's gymnastics is different to women's gymnastics, they use different appartus in the Olympics. The men focus more on strength where as the women focus more on grace. Men use the rings, the horse and jump over boxes where as the girls tend to do more floor work, balance on beams or go on the parallel bars.

Developing upper body strength helps with hand writing.

My son has one to one swimming lessons, but he is five and half years old and it helping him learn the strokes properly. Also he find group lessons hard because you can't wear hearing aids in the swimming pool.

Does your lo go to pre school? My son used to go to a music group at that age which he loved where he sang songs and played with percussion instruments. If you want your child to develop ball coordination then maybe you could try little kickers and learn football.

i just don't think 3x 1 hour a week is a lot

not for a 3.5 yo who I assume is NOT in f/t school

Also, with these classes parents can generally bugger off and get a cup of coffee IME which is FAR superior to parent and toddler groups where you have to pretend to give a crap about house prices and nursing bras.

DS1 went to ballet. He had black ballet shoes, black shorts, long white socks and a white t-shirt. He looked gorgeous and a year of ballet gave him a gorgeous posture and he moved with pure grace.

I'm going to send DS2 as well!

I'm sort of glad the tennis instructor and piano teacher sent you away because I think 5 activities would be pushing it for a 3 year old.

Think 2-3 is better

My ds does swimming and riding

my brother did ballet, never had an adverse affect on him! (except when my darling mother shows the pictures to his gfs!!)

i wish i could let dd do loads of activities like that..........oh to have money (not calling you all rich but we just cant afford it)

DD did lots of little activities when she was that age, and before. Had more time free to fill up. And yes, I bought the whole ballet and ballroom outfits too.

Now she is at school she just does swimming. She prefers play dates and the chance to go to after school clubs instead now.

At that age my dd did ballet (really just moving around to music and a bit of toe pointing at that age), tumble tots, proper swimming lessons (she could swim at 2 without armbands) and went to nursery school 3 mornings a week.

Now, 7 years later, she is about take Grade 3 ballet exam, swims for her school and has competed nationally, doesn't do tumble tots anymore but has turned into a sprinter (100 and 200 m)

Plus piano (started at 4.5)
violin (started at 8.5)
singing (started at 6.5)
Guides (after 3 years of Brownies)

I say go for it

I suppose it's all a question of how much time you have and how much enthusiasm he has. He'll have plenty of enthusiasm right now and this might tail off or increase. Difficult to predict which way it will go ...

Ah camellia you are an inspiration

I got worried I guess the other day when I was reading one of those threads that was all 'Gosh, too many activities are terrible and sap their independence, my ds goes to 1 carefully chosen activity and otherwise has lots of time to gambol in the garden' and i was nodding agreement with all of this and then suddenly realised that my attitude is quite different. I used to enjoy organised activities but really wasn't very good at any of them - scared of horses, a bit clumsy to be really good at ballet, too enormous to make much impact at gym. then when I was 19 I did find a sport I was really good at and took it quite a long way, but couldn't ever really have done it full time or anything because i was so 'old' when I started it. I guess I want to find out if ds has some major talent or other, and if not just to have the interest and fun of the activities like I did. But am very scared of making his life a timetable of different uniforms etc.

Still, am reassured that a ballet lesson once a week is not going to exclude all fun from his life - thank you

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