Do you ever just get tired???

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-19-2003
Do you ever just get tired???
13
Mon, 03-12-2007 - 9:47pm

My 15 yo dd has danced since she was 3. She has competed in dance competitions regularly since she was 7. She's at the studio 10 hours a week. Every year she attends 4 competitions with the studio and does 3 year end performances. She is also part of an arts program at school where she dances daily and does 3 or 4 shows a year.

All of this requires so much coordination and planning. It isn't just the getting her to class on time but its also all the extra rehearsals, the costumes, the makeup, the hair, the travelling arrangements, the getting home from work to get to the show on time, the taking days off to get to and from competitions and so on and so on and so on. And don't even get me started on how costly this all is!!!!

She really loves to dance. She dances ballet, jazz, tap, hip hop, latin, lyrical, modern, broadway -- all of it. She is a good dancer but she knows and I know she is not good enough to be a professional dancer. That would take much more hours and dedication and training than she does now (the best dancers do twice the hours she does). So she is in this right now just because she started it and she has to finish it and she really loves it.

But my God I am sooooo getting tired of all the work and preparation that goes into a dance season. True, she's older now and some of the hassle of things like makeup and costume changes and preparation is taken away but she's still not old enough to shop for her own dance shoes and travel to all the locations and rehearsals. I'm sitting her tonight thinking that I better hurry up and make the hotel reservations I have to make and just saying to myself "God I don't think I can do this much longer!!!"

From last year to this year, knowing this isn't the path she is going to take in life as a career, we cut her hours by about 25% and her dance performances in half. That has helped somewhat but I'm really burning out on this stuff. I love to watch her dance and I will support her as long as she wants to keep going but there are alot of days when its just tooooo much.

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iVillage Member
Registered: 08-17-2005
Sun, 03-18-2007 - 5:25pm

Im exhausted and it started the day the doctor informed me that I was pregnant with triplets. I have 4 children in high school, 3 of them seniors. Between all of them we have college acceptances, college decisions, scholarships, jobs, bfs & gfs, art, swim, AP exams coming up, cheer, gymnastics, and that is just to name a few. The load has been lightened some since 3 of them can drive, but it is still a lot. I still have to go to all of the events and support each and every one of them. There are some days where I just tell them that I need an hour to myself and I just go garden or take a bath or something to collect myself. If I didn't do the small things just for me, then believe me I would have gone insane years ago. Plus I know that I will miss a lot of these things when they go to college.

Stephanie
Reagan,Shea, & Bradford (17)
Carlin (14)

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2007
Mon, 03-19-2007 - 1:35pm
I think your avery awesome MOM,you've worked your butt off but always made your girls dream come true,you should pat yourself on the back for that.Your girl loves all that dance & hip hop,but ain't going to follow it as a dream/life then why don't you tell her,that you are going to cut it back,abit or what about car pooling,or is that an opption?Life is way to short to been played out,running after teen's,but try to talk & make alist of all the opptions& the pro's &con's of each it will work out,if it's meant to be it will,or is there just aplace where she can go & dance ,studio,instead of traveling all over the country??I hope you work it out,good luck&chin-up,lol.
iVillage Member
Registered: 07-19-2003
Mon, 03-19-2007 - 7:15pm
Thanks divastar for your thoughts and suggestions! I really appreciate them. Yes, we already have discussed that this may be the final year for all this running around. The studio she is at is going to lose alot of the older girls who are moving into more senior years of school or starting university or working or whatever. So they've decided to start advanced level classes for students who just want to keep dancing without all the competitions. Already since last year my dd is doing half the numbers she would normally do. She's done six to seven numbers a year including solos, groups and large lines and productions. This year she's down to three larger groups. It helps alot believe me! Less rehearsal time and less time spent at these competitions.

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