Featured Friday 12/27/13

Daughters of @Momof5Michelle

Jena -age 7

Madonnina - age 10 

How the Grump Stole Competition

Every Dancer  in Danceville Liked dancing a lot...
But the Grump, who lived just north of Danceville, did NOT!

The Grump hated dancing! The whole competition season!
Now, please don't ask why. No one quite knows the reason.

It could be his head wasn't screwed on just right.
It could be, perhaps, that his tap shoes were too tight.

But I think that the most likely reason of all,
May have been that his turnout always made him fall.

Whatever the reason, his hips or his ,prancer
He sat there in the audience, hating each dancer,

Staring down from his cave with a sour, grumpy  frown,
At the warm lighted windows below in their town.
For he knew every dancer down in Danceville beneath,
Was busy now, practicing their facials with teeth..
"And they're drying their pointe shoes!" he snarled with a sneer,
"Tomorrow is nationals! It's practically here!"

Then he growled, with his Grump fingers nervously drumming,
"I MUST find some way to stop this competition from coming!"
For tomorrow, he knew, all the dance boys and girls,
Would wake bright and early. They'd rush for their straighteners, to get rid of their curls!

And then! Oh, the noise! Oh, the Noise!
Noise! Noise! Noise!
That's one thing he hated! The NOISE!
NOISE! NOISE! NOISE!

Then the dancers, young and old, would sit down to stretch.
And they'd stretch! And they'd stretch! And they'd STRETCH!
STRETCH! STRETCH! STRETCH!
They would stretch on tables and stairways, and floors.
Which was something the Grump always thought was a chore!

And THEN They'd do something he liked least of all!
Every dancer in Danceville, the tall and the small,
Would stand close together, with costume parts flinging.
They'd stand hand-in-hand. And the dancers would start blinging!
They'd bling! And they'd bling! And they'd BLING!
BLING! BLING! BLING!
And the more the Grump thought of this dance costume bling,
The more the Grump thought, "I must stop this whole thing!"

"Why, for over three years I've put up with it now!"
"I MUST stop this nationals from coming! But HOW?"

Then he got an idea! An awful idea!
THE GRUMP GOT A WONDERFUL, AWFUL IDEA!
"I know just what to do!" The Grump laughed in his throat.

He snuck toward the hotels with the dancers there,
They  were all dreaming sweet dreams of leaping through the air..
When he came to the first hotel on the square.
"This is stop number one," the old Grump hissed,
And he climbed to the roof, empty bags in his fist.
Then he slid down the fire escape - feeling much like a lump.
But, if Ross could do it, then so could the Grump.

He got stuck only once, for a moment they say.
Then he creeped and he creeped down the hallway.
Where the little dancers’ costumes  all hung in a row.
"These sequins," he grinned, "are the first things to go!"

And he stuffed them in bags. Then the Grump, while he crawled,
Stuffed all the bags, one by one, down the hall!

Then he slunk to the closet. He took the dancers' shoes!
He took the protein bars! And he took the hair mousse!

He cleaned out that room as quick as a flash.
Why, that Grump even took their last pairs of eyelash!

"Overplayed music!" he was grumpily humming.
"They're finding out now that no competition is coming!"

"They're just waking up! I know just what they'll do!"
"Their mouths will hang open a minute or two,

Then the dancers down in Danceville will all cry boo hoo!"
"That's a noise," grinned the Grump, "That I simply MUST hear!"
So he paused. And the Grump put his hand to his ear.

And he did hear a sound coming from the town below.
It started in low. Then it started to grow.

But the sound wasn't sad! Why, this sound sounded merry!
It couldn't be so! But it WAS merry! VERY!

He stared down at Danceville! The Grump popped his eyes!
Then he shook! What he saw was a shocking surprise!
Every dancer in Danceville, the tall and the small,
Was dancing! Without any music at all!

He HADN'T stopped competition from coming! IT CAME!
Somehow or other, it came just the same!

And the Grump, with his grump-feet ice-cold in the snow,
Stood puzzling and puzzling: "How could it be so?"
"It came without costumes! It came without bling!"
"It came without eyelashes, makeup or rings!"

And he puzzled three hours, till his puzzler was sore.
Then the Grump
 thought of something he hadn't before!

"Maybe dance," he thought, "doesn't come from a store."
"Maybe dance...perhaps...means a little bit more!"
And what happened then? Well...in Danceville they say,
That the Grump's small heart grew three sizes that day!
And the minute his heart didn't feel quite so tight,
He whizzed with his load through the bright morning light,
And he brought back the costumes! And the eyelash glues!
And he, HE HIMSELF! The Grump put the taps on the shoes!

Dream Duffel Bling Kit Giveaway!

Dance Parent Problems will be getting a new look for the New Year, so we think your dance bag should too!

Dream Duffel  has generously donated a WHITE BLING KIT - for you!!!   

The kit includes:

• .18 oz sz E6000 industrial strength adhesive
• 1 pkg eyelash trim
• 14 -16 misc appliqués/rhinestone embellishments
• Approximately 45 Swarovski flat back crystals in various sizes. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway The contest will run from Dec. 21-31, 2013.

On January 1, 2014 I'll use random.org to choose a winner!  I'll then post on FB and Twitter so you can contact me to claim your prize!

*retail value of kit $37.99

*winner must contact me at danceparentproblems@gmail.com within 5 business days or a new winner will be chosen
*This gift was donated by Dream Duffel. If your company would like to sponsor a giveaway on the DPP blog, please contact me at danceparentproblems@gmail.com 

Featured Friday 12/20/13

Beautiful!!!

 @REAL_MissGCTeen

Dance Mom Survival Pack - A Helpful Guide

Sure, we all know the stuff you need to pack for a competition or a performance.

• Hairspray
• Water Bottles
• Bobby Pins
• Glitter Spray

But this is not that kind of list. We shouldn't neglect ourselves, parents. We know that we can take better care of our children if we are taken care of ourselves, right?

So, without further delay: Here's the Dance Moms (and Dads) Survival Pack:

• Rations. Any parent who has ever sat through 12 hours of competition with nothing but the venue's stale pretzels knows that there comes a point in the day where you feel like you may never get out. Keep these handy in case they are running an hour (or two) behind schedule. 

• Coffee Mug - A really really big one. Because snack bar coffee sucks. 

Will 52 ounces be enough?

• If coffee isn't your thing, or if it will only work for a certain number of hours, you might want to have a back up plan:  Wine Bra for the moms, Beer Belly for the dads.  I don't want to get all gender stereotyping on you, though, so feel free to interchange them.  Just don't send me pictures. 

                               

• The REALLY? Stamp.  For use on other parents, judges, or program books that think they're funny by listing the times in them. 

• Sucks Button -  Use sparingly, these ARE children. But the urge WILL come when you've just watched your fourteenth novice tap solo. 

• Homemade "Chapstick" Bet you won't find THIS formula on Pinterest. 

Shea Butter 

Lip Balm Tubes

Krazy Glue

Of course, you can find some other handy items over there on the widget on the side (unless you're on your phone and then you'll just have to trust me.) So, get packing! It won't be long before we'll all be needing this stuff.



 Disclaimer #1 - no, I don't actually suggest that you glue someone's mouth shut. Please don't sue me.

Disclaimer #2 - every one of those pictures links back to Amazon. Feel free to click on them. Then go buy something you really need from Amazon. ;-)


Follow Dance Parent Problems on Twitter! We have lots of fun on there!
We're on Facebook too. The fun will come.

Featured Friday

Submitted by @ladybug3841

To participate in Featured Friday, email us at danceparentproblems@gmail.com

Dance Parent Problems is now on Facebook!

And, as always, Twitter!

The Twelve Days of Christmas - Dance Moms Remix

On the twelfth day of Christmas, my dancer gave to me:

12 Tappers Tapping

11 Rhinestones Sparking

10 Long Legs Leaping

9 Ladies Dancing

8 Judges Judging

7 Parents Screaming

6 Students Stretching

5 Studio Shirts

4 Bobby Pins

3 Glue Guns

2 False Eyelashes

and a pair of convertible tights!

Lies Dance Teachers Tell

Dance Teachers - There doesn't seem to be a line between them.. You either love them or you hate them.

*Just so it's on public record here, I love my kids' teachers. Like family. Like...I'd put the hurt on someone who was intentionally mean to them. They are beautiful, wonderful people. The end.*

But the simple fact is all dance teachers lie. Sure, they may not MEAN to lie. But they lie.

I asked Twitter what they think are the most common lies dance teachers tell.  This is what you guys said:

• You're gonna love the other dance moms!
• There are no favorites.
• We ordered the costumes as early as we could.
• Practice will last about an hour,
• She did a GREAT JOB! (When both you and your dancer know better.)
• You'll be totally ready for your ballet exam.
• The prop will be small.
• This costume doesn't cost much at all.

But the overwhelming #1 answer as to the biggest lie dance teachers tell:

ONE MORE TIME!

7 Reasons to Never Mess with a Dance Mom

1. She’s read the warning label on the E6000 and she’s not afraid.

2. She can juggle schedules, meal times, costumes, and bobby pins without blinking an eye.

3. She has a glue gun and she’s not afraid to use it.

4. She’s protective of her kids. Some use the term psychotic. She does not like that term.

5. She knows how to handle drama better than any soap opera star.

6. She carries double sided tape and eyelash glue in her purse.

7. She has glitter. Glitter never goes away. Step back.

Featured Friday 11/22/13

Happy Friday everyone!

Meet @jodieegrace 

From her mom, @nicurnmama:   This is her senior year and last year of dancing competitively. She is hoping to attend AMDA-LA.  (You can follow her blog here: http://adventuresinjuggling.me ) 

Best of luck to you, Jodie! 

19 Stages of Watching a Dance Competition

Stages of Watching a Dance Competition

1. You get up early. Like... let’s see the sunrise together early. Except that you can’t enjoy the sunrise because...

2.  You spend twenty minutes in a panic because you  can’t find the bottom to the first costume of the day only to realize that the last time she wore it, she had a quick change and it got shoved into the bottom of the Dream Duffel.

3. You spend the next twenty minutes trying wash off the superglue-esque paste that a combination of hair gel, hairspray, and eyelash glue have created on your fingers.

4. Then you have to go back to the car because you didn’t put the spare tights in the Dream Duffel and the first pair your child put on ripped.

5. You drape your dancer in an oversized sweatshirt so that she can eat some hotel waffles for breakfast without getting syrup on her costume.

6. You run out the door and race to the venue, only to find that there’s road construction/a parade/a road race blocking all known routes to the place.

7. After finding a parking spot far enough away to count as your cardio for the day, you enter the building to be greeted with the news that they’re running an hour ahead--even though the competition started 30 minutes ago.

8.  You hand off your dancer to the teachers, only after asking a minimum of 17 times if she’s stretched.  And then you go to find a seat...

9. And discover that some parents must have camped out overnight like it was a Best Buy Black Friday sale because there’s nowhere to sit.

10.  You insist that you’re going to watch all of the numbers leading up to your studio’s performance and seven minutes later find yourself finally beating level 141 of Candy Crush.

11. You start making notes in your program to add to Dance Competition Hub when you get home.

12. At around hour 7, you begin to question your involvement in this and begin pondering the vacations you could be taking with the money you spend on dance competitions.

13. Then awards happen and your child scores a platinum on her solo and you start mentally packing for the next competition.

14. You promise to stay and watch all of the studio’s numbers and then your Starbucks app sends a notification of half price drinks.

15. You sneak back into the auditorium with your coffee, conveniently ignoring the “no food or drink allowed” sign, only to find that the seat in front of yours has been taken up by three dancers who insist on sitting on each other’s laps and giggling loudly while taking group selfies on their phones.

16. You begin plotting the murder of the parent who is too cheap to buy her own program and keeps texting you every 10 minutes to ask “what number are they on?”

17.  You try (and fail) to hide rolling your eyes at the parent who insists her precious little snowflake did not win because “the judges hate her.” (While mentally noting that she placed second.)

18. As 10 pm awards approach and you've had nothing but coffee and a half a stale pretzel, you begin to wonder how long it took for the Donner party to turn on each other.

19.  You return to your hotel room and set your alarm so that you can repeat steps 1-17 tomorrow.




Follow me on Twitter. Pretty Please. We'll have fun, I promise.

Featured Friday 10/18/13 - VIDEO EDITION

I'm very excited to present @competitionkids as the first video on Featured Friday!  

Follow me on Twitter!   Do you want to be featured on Featured Friday? Email me your pictures or videos (please include your Twitter name) to danceparentproblems@gmail.com 

Confessions of a Dance Mom

If you follow me on Twitter (and if you don't, what are you waiting for?) you'll know that I make fun of...well, everyone. A lot. I make fun of the crazy mom who is obsessed with her child's "career", the parent who never, ever has any idea what's going on. Ever. I mock the parent who insists on interrupting class at least once a week to fix her child's skirt. I make fun of dancers and choreographers and judges and parents and costume designers...everyone is fair game. I mean, the account IS anonymous - and I believe the appeal is that these people are in EVERY studio. Everyone has a parent who mentions their child's name so many times a day that you start to keep tally marks and place bets with the other parents on how many times she'll say it.  Every studio has a parent who thinks their child is going to be a superstar. There's always a super competitive parent that you're worried may turn into the Texas Cheerleader Mom. And all of these people are also in all of us. So, without further ado: Dance Mom Confessions from me, Dance Parent Problems.

• I've thrown shoes.
• I've threatened to glue my child's eyes shut with eyelash glue.
• I've taken cell phone pictures of costumes in the hallways to get ideas for later.
• I've brought food AND drink into the auditorium. 
• I showed up for my child's very first competition without bobby pins. 
• I've been known to sleep between our studio's numbers while at competitions.
• I pack for the first competition at least two weeks early. (I've come a long way since the "no bobby pins" incident.)
• I've yelled at someone else's child. More than once. (Watch your damned kids. This isn't a daycare.) 
• I've saved seats.
• I drive my child absolutely nuts before she does her solo. "Did you stretch? Are you sure you're stretched? Why aren't you stretching?"

I'm sure there's more. LOTS more. We all do crazy things. That's part of being a dance mom (or dad.)  The important thing is that we learn to laugh about it and not take ourselves so seriously. All of this will be over long before any of us are ready and some day we'll be sitting around longing for the days of spending a week's paycheck on costumes. 

Featured Friday - 10/4/13

This photo is beautiful!  Thanks, @Tristyk

Want to be a part of Featured Friday? Email me at danceparentproblems@gmail.com - now accepting videos too! (The first featured video will be posted next week!)

Do you follow me on Twitter? Why not? We have fun there! https://twitter.com/DanceParentProb

Dance Parents Have to Stick Together!

There are CRAZY dance moms out there! We have to stick together!  We're not the crazy ones, of course. It's the others. The others!!!!

You can identify the others by the following traits:

• They move your stuff in the dressing room! 
• They stand in front of you when your child is on stage! 
• They give you dirty looks!
• They save entire rows of seats for hours and no one ever shows up!
• They're usually wearing a jacket or t-shirt that says "Special Princess' Mom" (don't worry if YOU wear this...YOU aren't crazy. It's THEM!!!) 
• They run their dancer's solo at least once more even after the teacher has done it.
• They've been known to scream at teachers, other parents, and even strangers! 

Unfortunately, there isn't a darned thing we can do about these people. Your only options are to assimilate (Please only choose this option as a last resort! Think of the puppies!), develop a sense of humor about them, or to pull your child out of dance and let them start a career in competitive Backgammon.

We can stick together in other ways though. One of the things I've discovered through Twitter is a site called Dance Competition Hub  This is a competition and convention rating site. (They have a fantastic vendor rating section as well!) And it has a very thorough list of competitions, conventions, and vendors. Teachers, parents, studio owners, and dancers are all invited to review the competitions with which they have experience.  They've only been operating since April 2013 (according to the news section on the site) and I have heard myself that the competition directors have taken notice. I highly recommend that you take the time to check them out - because one way that we can stick together as crazy (some of us more than others) dance parents (and dancers - hi!!) is to keep the people we give our hard earned money to honest and fun for the kids.

P.S. They're on Facebook too! Go show some love! Dance Competition Hub 

Featured Friday 9/20/13

Thanks to @run_my_ERINs for her featured Friday submission. What a great shot!

Do you want to be featured on Featured Friday? Email me your pictures (or YouTube videos) to danceparentproblems@gmail.com  Please make sure they are your property-no watermarks, etc. And please include your Twitter handle in the email so I can properly credit you!

Do you follow me on Twitter? 

Q & A Flyer - for the Dance Clueless

You know them. The people who ask you the "well-meaning" questions about dance. Or, better yet, the ones who are just plain trying to be assholes. It seems like they just ask the same things over and over again. Well, here's the answer: A simple flyer for you to hand out to nosey-Nellies. Maybe they'll get a nasty paper cut.

For your convenience, I've supplied two answers to each question. A1 - the answer I would give and A2  - the answer a person who doesn't have to be sarcastic with every interaction might say.

Q: How much do you pay for all of that dance? 
A1: Are you planning on contributing? No? Then it's none of your damned business.
A2: It's part of his/her arts education. I don't monetize it.

Q:  Why are you wasting time with dance? It's not like it's going to pay the bills.
A1: Oh, yes, because statistics show that every junior high football player has like a 90% chance of becoming a millionaire.
A2: Grace, poise, confidence, athleticism. Shall I go on?

Q: Where did she get all of those bruises?
A1: She likes to go to the laundromat with her friends and a roll of quarters and play in the dryers.
A2: Because dance is a sport. Football players and soccer players and softball players get bruises too.

Q: How can you let her wear all of that make up?
A1:  I"m training her to be a pole dancer. I'm spending all of my retirement money on her training. She'll need to support me when I"m old.
A2: It's stage make up. Her face would look like a white blob on stage without it. She doesn't wear it to K-mart.

Q: Why do you let her wear that costume?
A1: What's the alternative? Not wearing it?
A2: If she was in a play, she'd have a costume. She wouldn't wear it to the mall. Same rules apply.

Q: Why do you care so much about her dancing?
A1: Why do YOU care so much about her dancing?
A2: Because she does.

Be sure to print this handy little guide out and keep it in your wallet for quick reference at your next family function. And if Aunt Glenda still won't listen, send her to my Twitter. I'll straighten her out.

Featured Friday 9/6/13

If you'd like to have your photo featured on the Dance Parent Problems blog, please send no more than 2 photos to danceparentproblems@gmail.com  (you can tweet them to me, but I might miss them - better to email) They cannot contain a watermark - but if you have professional photos, such as the lovely lady below and you've been asked to leave the photographer's name on them, I have no issues with that. I just don't want anyone getting in trouble.

I'd like do do a featured video each month too - so as long as you own the rights to the video, feel free to send me the link to your YouTube video.

With either type of entry, please include your twitter user name so I can tag you!

@brwneydancer 

@brwneydancer 

@hailey_anne_s

@hailey_anne_s

\

Do you follow me on Twitter? @danceparentprob

A Year in the Life of a Competition Dance Mom

September -

So excited to start a new season.  Oh, sure, you can do two solos, two duets, and three extra numbers on top of the required ones. It won’t add too much to the tuition bill.

October -

I’m sooo bored. I want to go to a convention or a competition. Is it March yet?

November - 

For the love of God ...is it March yet?

December -

Does all last minute Christmas shopping on allaboutdance.com

January - 

Wait, how many numbers did I let you do? I forgot about the competition fees. *checks black market for going price for kidneys*

February -

Costumes are in!!! wait, how many costumes did I order? That’s a downpayment on a car!

March - 

Packs for the first competition and books hotel two weeks in advance - decorates car, lays out which studio shirts to wear each day of the event

April -

Takes duffel from March competition out of car to repack for April competition

May -

Packs 15 minutes before we leave, books hotel on way to competition, may or may not have packed a studio shirt. It may still be in the luggage from April. 

Recital - stays in the dressing room, hovering in fear of the crazy rec/class moms

June - 

Time for nationals. Kind of relieved that your dance studio owner doubles as your travel agent because at this point in the year, there’s no way you could coordinate a family vacation without falling apart.

July  - 

ahhh... time off. 

Except the workshops.

And Summer Intensives.

And parades.  

Late July - unpacks from nationals

August -

Choreography. registration. new year’s t-shirts. Oh, she outgrew her warm ups. Time for more of those. 

Is it March yet?

Follow me on Twitter! @danceparentprob

Competition Pet Peeves

1. And the title winner is...

wait, they didn’t place 1st? Oh, that’s a separate competition? And it’s an extra $75? For??? I can buy a tiara at the Dollar Tree.

2. cheering for backstage help when they sweep the stage...no one cheers for me when I sweep at home... (this one compliments of @tbhdanceteacher)

3. Props. Big or small...that never get used. I’m sure it was worth the u-haul rental for that prop that you NEVER TOUCH

4. Parents who constantly ask me what number they are on or who’s next or which one of our studio’s numbers is up next. Buy your own program, bitch.

5. Parents who should out their kids names while they are dancing. It may just be me, but I”d be all “what?” and then forget what I was doing. Seems to me it would be distracting.

6. Parents who will cheer for EVERY dancer...except one. Because being a dance parent means you regress to middle school.

7. Dancers who run around half naked when they are not on stage. A costume is just that. A costume. For performance. When you’re done, but your overpriced warm up on.

8. Acro in any dance that isn’t acro. (And I love acro, but quit putting flips into your lyrical dance. It looks stupid.)

9. Taking 15 seconds to evacuate the stage. If you’re done, move along. I’m ready for a Starbucks break and you’re holding things up.

10. Minis with inappropriate movements and costumes.

11. Seniors with inappropriate movements and costumes.

12. Productions that seem to last for 45 minutes.

13. Productions with more than 30 dancers. I don’t know how the judges can even see everyone.

14. Unorganized competitions that run everything out of order and late.

15. Competitions that have levels and rules for those levels, but do nothing about it when the cheating or “leveling down” is blatant and obvious.

16. When dancers (and parents) don’t clap for other teams or for EVERY dancer on the studio team.

17. When solos are first and the kid who didn’t “win” spends the rest of the week grumpy and unfocused.

18. Competitions that start at 7:30 am and don’t end until midnight. And then  you have to be back at 7:30 the next day.

19. When the emcee can’t pronounce the name of a studio, even after being corrected.

20. When the only concessions are stale pretzels and warm bottles of soda.

Sure, I could go on and on and if it was competition season, this list would probably be about 50 long. Feel free to add your own in the comments.

P.S. Do you follow me on Twitter? Why not? @danceparentprob

Featured Friday 8/30/13

I need to post a few guidelines - after this week, I can take two submissions from each person - you can always put them into a collage if you want to use more! I just want to make sure there's room for everyone.

Also, and this is a big one. I cannot use photos with a water mark or copyright stamp on them. We could both get in big, big trouble.

That said, take a look a this week's fabulous dancers!

@always_dancin97

@always_dancin97

@always_dancin97

@always_dancin97

@amstampfl

@stacydaviswhite

All photos are submitted by their owners and the property of such.

Stuff Dance Moms Say - Stuff Dance Dads Say

Moms

• Please don't take your eyelashes off at the table.
• All of your clubs have to meet at lunch or before school. You have dance.
• Don't throw things at your sister! She has to dance next week
• That costume needs more rhinestones
• Oooh...you should dance to this song
• Are you stretched? (repeat 10x)
• You painted your nails!!!! Take that off!
• Sure I can stone that.
• More hairspray!
• If you change quickly we can get a quick lunch between solos & awards.
• Let me spray more glitter on you. I see a bare spot.
• Don't you think that (costume) should be a two piece?
• You can't. You have dance.
• Sure, I'll drive three hours so she can perform one 3 minute dance.
• You can always buy new underwear. Don't forget the costumes.

Dads

• I don't even want to see the bill. Just pay it & keep quiet.
• This prop isn't TOO heavy.
• We have to take her WHERE for nationals?
• Where is the rest of that costume?
• I can retire a few years later, let her do another solo.
• Sure, honey, I'll build you a prop. And rent a U-Haul to get it to competitions.
• I spent all day at work with glitter on my face. No one told me.
• What should I fix myself for dinner tonight?
• So, I took my boss to lunch today and I'm sure he wondered why there were rhinestones in the seat of my car.

Feel free to add your own in the comments!

Tips for Dance Team Parents

Making the leap from dance class parent to competition can be a bit overwhelming.  You go from having to worry about recital to having many extra performances,   costs, and possibly even hours of your time.  The studio may give you hand outs about the price, possibly some hotel choices, but if you want the truth about what you need to know, keep reading.

• Never, EVER, add up how much it all costs.
• If your dancer is a boy...please don't pull him out of dance in middle school
• Once you let your kid do a solo, she'll be doing them until the end. Be prepared.
• ‏Dancers love drama. Dance teachers prefer that you keep it out of their studio.
• Remember that you're paying the teachers to choreograph and teach. Keep your mouth shut.
• You will have to put makeup and eyelashes on your 5 year old. There is actually a reason for this. Learn to love it.
• You'll forget something, a strap will break, you'll lose a shoe. The world will not end.
• Recital will be for grandparents from here on out
• Ballet. Even if your kid would rather do jazz or hip hop. She NEEDS ballet. Get her all the training you can.
• Just plan on writing a check every time you go to the studio. There's always something.
• The older your child gets, the more the costumes will cost, and the less material there will be...
• Sometimes your kid will dance with kids that suck. Sometimes, they'll be way better than your kid. Deal with it.
• Your family vacations will be wherever the studio owners decide to go to nationals.
• Don't take it too seriously. Leave that to the dancers.
• You will have to be a little crazy to survive
• Tuition, costumes, entry fees, pictures, videos, hotels, travel, warm ups, shoes, make up, jewelry, t-shirts.
• Plan on pitching in. Can you do hair? Make up? I've got the snarky comments covered. We're good there.
• Learn now that it's a team. If you want your child in a "solo" sport, there's a gym down the street
• Bring your kid to practice. 5 minutes late is better than not showing up at all.
• Be prepared to spend some money. A lot of money.
• You need to get in your head right now, that your kid is 5 and she isn't going to dance like the seniors
• Just buy a Dream Duffel now.