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Parenting

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Original poster

Would you quit this club?

26 replies

hentheeighth · 21/07/2023 15:10

DD is 2.8, and for the last few months has been going to a weekly outdoor football class. She's an only child so thought it'd be nice to get her out of the house, mix with other kids and get some exercise. And in general, she likes it - likes running around, kicking/throwing the ball, always excited when it's time to go to football.

The problem is, it is an absolute pain in the arse to keep her engaged for the full length of the class (45 mins!).

Inevitably at some point she will start running in the opposite direction off into the park, lying down on the floor in front of the goal, asking to go on the swings instead. With a lot of hard work and encouragement we can generally make it through to the end of the class with the promise of the end-of-class sticker but it is SUCH hard work. Is it really worth it?

I was starting to think it's just my poor parenting except it is not just her - lots of other parents struggling to keep their kids engaged (all 2-3 year olds).

Last week I took her to soft play instead and she loves it there, can happily sprint around as much as she likes with no pressure to follow instructions. And taking her swimming (just us, not a class) is a breeze - she could splash around in the water all day.

WIBU to bin off the football classes? I feel I should be teaching some sort of lesson about sticking with things and getting her used to following intructions/structured classes but she is my first, so I am hoping you will all tell me not to be ridiculous and get myself a coffee at soft play instead.

FWIW, DH also finds it a nightmare when it's his turn to take her and much prefers the soft play ball pit.

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ParadiseLaundry · 21/07/2023 15:13

45 minutes seems like a long time for such little ones to stay engaged for, how old are the other children in the class?

I think it's totally normal for this age to just prefer free play/exploring rather than structured so you're definitely not letting her down by just putting the class on hold for a year or so when she might get more out of it.

ShivWambsgans · 21/07/2023 15:15

She’s not even three. What’s the point of doing something that is so difficult when she clearly enjoys lots of other things? If lots of the kids are getting antsy it sounds like the class isn’t really pitched correctly for toddlers anyway.

UnravellingTheWorld · 21/07/2023 15:16

This sounds like totally normal 3 yo behaviour tbh, and 45 minutes is a long time to keep sounds a young child engaged. I'm not saying the idea is bad, but your expectations on such a young child are pretty high.

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TropicalTrama · 21/07/2023 15:18

Yeah sack it off. 45 minutes is too long for 2YOs.

Yfory · 21/07/2023 15:19

45 minutes is a looooong time for 2-3yos. Im not surprised that a lot find it difficult to keep focused. Soft play/ball pit is far more appropriate at that age.
I wouldnt worry about sticking at it.....shes 2, it really doesnt matter. Wait until shes 4 or 5 and see what activity she is interested in doing.

Original poster

hentheeighth · 21/07/2023 15:19

All between 2.5-3.5 @ParadiseLaundry

Think you're all right that my expectations are too high! Just don't want her to miss out. But you're all telling me what I think I knew deep down anyway and needed some validation for - so thank you!

OP posts:

UsingChangeofName · 21/07/2023 15:31

I wouldn't have signed up in the first place.
That is FAR too young for an organised class.
You can take her to the park and kick a ball around yourself, for the fresh air, exercise, and developing co-ordination.

Original poster

hentheeighth · 21/07/2023 15:34

You're totally right @UsingChangeofName. My thinking was that a kick around with a bunch of kids her own age would be more fun that just me but clearly not going to work!

OP posts:

Guiltyfeethavegotnorhythm0 · 21/07/2023 15:35

Are the other kids at football the same age ? surely they will be doing the same sort of thing . Had to laugh when you said she likes lying down in front of the goal though 🤣 . If the other kids are same I would just carry on , she's enjoying it .

Guiltyfeethavegotnorhythm0 · 21/07/2023 15:37

Sorry you did say the other kids are same , keep going it's fun .

bettynutkins · 21/07/2023 15:37

We had exactly the same with our 2 year old. We didn't renew the class, felt like a total waste of time!

Original poster

hentheeighth · 21/07/2023 15:39

That's reassuring @bettynutkins .

@Guiltyfeethavegotnorhythm0 Yes it is chaos honestly, the coaches are great with them but it is knackering and there is not a great deal of football happening (esp if my DD is in the goal 😂)

OP posts:

QuiltedHippo · 21/07/2023 15:41

Sounds a bit full on, we do a nice gym class with my 2.3 year old which is 45 mins but the majority is them exploring whatever they fancy. There's a 10 minute warm up, 2-3 skills they demonstrate throughout and encourage having a go, then 5 minutes of balls and bubbles at the end. Seems to work well but they'd struggle to focus more than that

Original poster

hentheeighth · 21/07/2023 15:42

That sounds lovely @QuiltedHippo . I can imagine it helps if it's indoors and they can't escape?!

I think DD would like something like that actually but work full time and never managed to find a weekend gym class...

OP posts:

ManchesterLu · 21/07/2023 15:46

If it's a problem with other children in the class, have you thought about having a chat with the people who run it? Maybe cut it down to 20-30 minutes and then do something more 'free' with the rest of the time, like play on the park or just hand the footballs out and let them play? I don't know how long the class has been running for, but there's every chance they'd appreciate the feedback.

Original poster

hentheeighth · 21/07/2023 15:48

It's one of those big chain ones @ManchesterLu so possibly wouldn't get far, but will definitely feed it back if we decide to cancel. Perhaps worth looking around for something a bit more relaxed!

OP posts:

MsJuniper · 21/07/2023 15:48

Do you have a Tumble Tots near you? Sounds like it might be more up her street.

ZacharinaQuack · 21/07/2023 15:49

My DS used to go to one of these (think it was under 3s though) but it was much more short, vaguely football-themed games and activities rather than actually playing football. All the kids messed around a bit and most didn't join in with every activity, but that was fine and expected. We stopped going because he didn't like it, but if your DD is enjoying it I wouldn't say it's pointless.

Original poster

hentheeighth · 21/07/2023 15:50

Yes @MsJuniper and I think she would love it, but they only seem to do weekdays and we work full time sadly. The upside is we can rely on nursery to tire her out on those days... 😂

OP posts:

Original poster

hentheeighth · 21/07/2023 15:52

Thanks @ZacharinaQuack. I'm sure you're right, she does at least mostly enjoy it when she gets involved. Selfishly though, it ends up being stressful 45 mins for me to keep her at the very least from disrupting the games for others (lying in the goal for example!)

I think perhaps something shorter/less structured might be the way!

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Ndhdiwntbsivnwg · 23/07/2023 15:37

Who decided that structured sports for 45 minutes! is a decent idea for a 3yo? 😂😂 I mean talk about ripping off the parents who dont know better

NuffSaidSam · 23/07/2023 15:40

I feel I should be teaching some sort of lesson about sticking with things and getting her used to following intructions/structured classes

She's 2!

Mumof2littleguys1 · 23/07/2023 19:02

If it's one of the chain ones, I'm guessing it's not cheap. It doesn't sound like it's worth the money when there are plenty of other things that you all enjoy.

Gumptionesque · 23/07/2023 19:57

Try again in 6 months. She’s not going to learn any lessons about sticking with things at this age.

Noodles1234 · 24/07/2023 07:52

If she’s only 2, yes a 45 min class (or even if 15/30 mins), they’d struggle with focus it’s a long time at that age.

but yes of course, soft play abs fine all day! Normal kid.

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