To dance or not to dance…..
Posted on September 2nd, 2010 by Kristen Paulsen
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My tween has a dilemma. As parents we are supportive of her desire to dance. However, she wants to take 2 different dance classes on 2 different days (which we think is fine since the studio is close to our home), but she has adamantly stated that 2 days is too much with her homework. Her dilemma, “maybe I shouldn’t dance because the class I want to take requires me to take ballet too.” I admire my tween for knowing her limitations. Even watching her try to express her feelings about what she is doing this year at school was getting her worked up. Obviously we want her to enjoy dance and we don’t want to push her. We want to encourage and be supportive. The age old question remains, “to be or not to be?”
I wish I could wave a magic wand and create time for my tween to relax, to have less homework, to be less of a perfectionist and to cut herself some slack. Our tweens are under academic, social, emotional and athletic pressure. I think I have it bad, but I’m not sitting at a desk for 7 1/2 hours a day and then coming home to another hour and then needing to sleep to repeat it again. My tween needs down time, play time, creative time social time and learning to build that into her routine can be challenging.
When I think I have it hard or that I’m worn down, I quickly realize it is nothing in comparison to the pressures that our children are facing. As a parent I am constantly evaluating and re-evaluating to make sure I’m not pushing, expecting or “forcing” my tween to be more scheduled than she can handle. With the start of school I am reminded with the schedules sent out and the new grading methods of fourth grade how stressful it could appear to a tween.
Participating in activities that release energy, are enjoyable and are fun are all beneficial to relieving high stress levels. Communication is essential. Evaluation and Reality is important to. Listening is essential when trying to decide what to participate in or not.
How do you help your child find balance in their schedules? How do you teach your tween how to relieve stress in a positive and healthy manor?








