Oh the joys of this time of year.....

"By the way, I can't be in recital" (Which is two weeks away) or "I can only be in one of the shows"

Nice of the parents to let me know since we have had the date posted since Septemeber, which makes their child feel bad because now I have to rearrange my choreography so that their position in the formation is unimportant.

If I say you must wear hip hop shoes for recital and have posted two notices, then that is what you must wear. I see you are still wearing jazz shoes to hip-hop class, and I am already frustrated to know that you will show up to recital with the same jazz shoes that I have specifically asked not be worn. Yet I won't have the heart to keep you out of the show, and I won't take it out on you because your mother told you not to bother.

At recital-
Thank you parents for taking your child and leaving as soon as they have performed so no one is on stage during finale. Although we cannot hold your child hostage, it sure would be considerate to all the other students and parents who follow our rules and requests.

That said, I love what I do, some things will never change, you can't make everyone happy, and the special notes, thank-yous and flowers from happy students make it all worthwhile!!