Hi. dd1(4) has been going to a little ballet class for the last year, and she seems to love it. So next week they are having their annual show, and they bullied persuaded lots of us to volunteer as dressers- fine. But now I realise I will be (deep breath) RESPONSIBLE for other people's children and I am hyperventilating at the thought!! We've all had disclaimers etc, so not worried about that. It's just that I am such a Calamity Jane, and I really don't want to mess up with someone else's kid!!! The other mums all seem so confident but I am shaking in my shoes! We have to watch over the kids in their dressing rooms, prevent them wandering about to see friends in other rooms, take them to the toilet if necessary, help them dress, attach any (gulp) hair ornaments- on the right side, mind!- and generally keep them calm and controlled!
Most of these kids will be older than 4- I don't know anything about kids older than 4!! They are allowed to eat snacks, but have to watch they don't eat things that might stain- how do I police that? What if I do their hair wrong and their mother takes out a contract on me? I can't sew (although thankfully there should be a dressmaker on standby!) unless you count surgical suturing (don't laugh- dd1s elastic on her ballet shoes is held on with a neat line of simple interrupted sutures!)
I wish i hadn't "volunteered" but I didn't want to look like a bad mammy! But in actual fact I feel like an imposter mum- I'm really not very good with kids that aren't my own! I don't know what to talk to them about or whether I should tell them off etc etc. I feel like a complete novice, and all those This-Is-My-Ninth-Child-To-Go-Through-the-dance-shows Ubermums scare the bejaysus out of me- they smell my fear and it makes them powerful. Sob! Someone tell me it will be alright (on the night!) Why oh why oh why didn't I stick to karate lessons?