Thought anitas didnt have a comp this weekend sue any way !!
Youve felt like this few times before sure another passing phrase think all us parents have them sue does get tiring week in week out have a break send tara on her own for a while will cut the costs too be ashame when you just bought her 2 new janine suits taras doing well and is enjoying it that what counts she is getting good fair results !!!! And old enough at 12 to go alone!

think us parents lose interest because its constant payout like others have said we go as far as paying dance money out before filling the cuboards paying bills ect

I am a parent as well as being a teacher, as I said in my post. So I've been able to see it from both sides but of course if all you want to do is complain about how much the professionals who train your children and organise the events they attend charge then be my guest.

Hi susan i have felt the same as you and many others ,i have loved dance and hated dance at the moment i love it as much as my daughter.I have also paid dance before inportant bills , Im lucky as chelsea is sponsored which helps so much !!!
As for christmas presents i couldnt get them my daughter got very little so you feel guilty as a mum ,but chelsea was fine as she loves dance and its helped her with confidence she would be heartbroken if we left.
ive always said its like a fair ride at first its so exciting then after a while you want to get off but its going so fast you cant !!!
dance keeps me sane but then drives me insane How does that work i dont know?The prices are getting out of control you try to save money by trying to cut down on lessons and competitions ,but then you cant as you know they need to be competition fit and need the private lessons or their dancing will suffer ..
when chelsea dances great thats when i realize its all worth it !!1 ive cried so much over money but still i think when she gets older my daughter will say she was given a wonderful chance to do what she loves !!!
I do wish you all the best and hope the love will come back as it did me susan
kim xxx

Well theres always one who has have to have a go isnt there - advice was requested in my post Hummingbird - totally un necessary for you to critisise anyone elses reply - and as I at no point critisised any teachers or organisers of any comps therefore dont think your comment there is really relevant to the original post

Karen we had a comp last weekend which is the comp I was referring to attending and we had weekend off dancing this weekend as we did not do any classes or lessons - and Im afraid I think 12 is still too young to go to comps on own on a regular basis - apart from not wanting to impose on others I think its important for a parent to be there as much as possible as have far too often seen kids come off the floor with no one to either celebrate or commiserate with and although the rest of school might be there most young kids Tara included I know would want their mum there - not saying that some kids arent ok with it and if it was just an occasional comp then not a problem but certainly would not expect others to have to take over on a regular basis

Susan

well said tara with you honey! x x

I don't think anyone was criticising the cost of lessons/dance teachers/ event organizers/costume designers individually, it is the cumulative aspect of all these that people are finding difficult especially in the current financial climate.
No forms of dance are cheap, you only have to go onto other dance forums to read the trials and tribulations of parents trying to obtain funding to send their children to vocational dance schools!
As parents we all want the best for our children and want them to be happy and fulfilled but we have to be realistic about what we can afford (financially, emotionally and physically!!)
You will have those discussions with your daughter I'm sure and I do not feel you have to justify your decision to attend/not attend comps with anyone other than her.
Best wishes to you both

It was around christmas time when I felt the same way, it was lovely spending time with the rest of the family, I tried all way to get my daughter to change her hobby but she wasn't having it, I was dreading the first comp back after the holidays but it hasn't taken me long to get back into the swing. Hope you feel better about things soon.

hya,
difficult possition really isnt it, of course we all want to do things to help our children be happy, healthy and develop and lets face it, have opportunities we may or may not have had when growing up. I believe though that as parents we need to be happy especially if the day to day worries of work, finances etc are on our minds, so to be unhappy in a childs hobby is sad really. Sounds as if pulling back a bit is doing you the world of good already, and even though sometimes our children think that dance is their whole world, it doesnt hurt for them to realise it isnt necessarily our whole world too!
hope you both enjoy some time together doing other hobbies

karen x