So why not enroll her for another year you ask? Well, I have wanted her to take ballet for forever, I had originally planned to have her overlap and take both at the same time for this one year {it's the last that she's young enough for the Music Together program} but two classes a week PLUS preschool feels like a lot to put on her plate right now and I don't want to overwhelm her and make her hate all three.
So it's one or the other and they both have pros and cons.
Pros for ballet:
The big one - Alice wouldn't be taking it. Our girls love each other and Cheyenne and I feel that it's a part of our job as parents to try to help foster as close of a relationship as possible between them. To us that entails giving them time together but also space apart. We've noticed when Alice goes to music class Amelia gets a bit bratty and hard to control and it's very obvious that it's rooted in jealousy {after all it's always been her thing and sharing something that you love can sometimes suck}.
She's more physical now - Music Together is fantastic but a good chunk of the time is spent sitting. For a three year old that can grow a bit dull. Luckily most of her classmates are her exact age and they've been going to the same class together for years now so, as parents we all take turns having to wrangle our little ones back to the circle. While I'm okay being a wrangler it sure would be nice to have her in a class that is based on movement.
She's going through a phase - All she wants to watch lately is the Prima Princessa version of Swan Lake. All she wants to do is "dance like a ballerina". She's re-imagined all of her dolls as ballerinas. All she wants to wear are "ballerina dresses". It kind of seems fitting to let her take lessons in something that she's so into {even if it's just a phase}.
The cute factor - little girls + tutus = OMG level adorable.
Pros for Music Together:
Convenience - As I said, Alice will be enrolling in Music Together, so if Amelia doesn't then that means one parent takes Big Sister to her once a week gig while the other parent takes Little Sister to hers. And as an inherently lazy weekender that feels like less than fun.
Nostalgia - She's been in this class since she was just teeny tiny. It feels like I'm giving up that last drop of babyhood that she had left.
It's family oriented - In Music Together every member of your family participates. We all dance and sing and play instruments with each other. The ballet class has a rule that parents are not allowed in until the last 10 minutes of class so that the children aren't distracted. While I understand their thinking, I also like to have us all join in the reindeer games so to speak.
So, I dunno. I don't have to decide until mid-August which is good because I'm very much still on the fence. Any advice?
1 comment:
How often are the ballet sign ups? I mean if it is just a phase, you could wait a little longer and let her have one last music thing together with her friends, and if she's still into it, maybe it's not just a phase...however if the ballet opening is a limited time thing, or she should be signed up by a certain age, or only once a year, give it a try...
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