Life is busy. There seems to be some cruel time vacuum that is continually running in our peripheries, sucking up the precious moments we wish we could and feel we should be spending with our children. If only it would simultaneously tackle the spilt Cheerios and buildup of cat hair on the arm chair, we might not resent said vacuum quite so much. Unfortunately, we must sweep up those Cheerios ourselves, sometime between cobbling together dinner and doing a giant load of laundry so everyone has at least something clean to wear the next day. As far as the cat hair goes, maybe we’ll get to it next week.
It feels ironic, doesn’t it, that the years we spend raising our children seem to go by the fastest, yet with each day and month that passes, we realize they are the very years that we wish most we could hit the pause button on? The single piece of parenting advice I have received the most is, “enjoy every minute, they grow up too fast”. I think it is also one of the hardest pieces of advice to heed, because while we are busy trying to keep our cool that the Cheerios are even spilt in the first place, our children are learning and growing and maturing with or without us. So unless we can commit, even occasionally, to saving the chores and the errands and the to-do lists for tomorrow, we might turn around and realize our babies, somewhere along the way, stopped being babies, and turned into brave, smart, kind, talented young people.
That is what Parent Participation Week at Dance Magic is about.
Parent Participation Week gives parents and their kids some special time to pause and connect. It gives parents a chance to understand their kid’s struggles and to celebrate their kid’s triumphs. We sometimes get so caught up in the day to day that we forget our children have just as much to teach us as we have to teach them.
Since Parent Participation Week is all about parents, we caught up with a mom and a dad who took part to ask them a few questions. Let’s see what they had to say!
First up, Marina Redekopp:
Who did you participate with? April, my Daughter
Were you asked or did you volunteer? I volunteered
Why did you choose to participate? I think it’s important to show our kids that we are still learning too. I also thought it was important to show her my own self confidence.
What classes did you participate in? Can you tell me a bit about the experience? Ballet, with Miss Laine.
I thought it was a great experience for both of us. My daughter gets very anxious, and we were able to work through and reflect on it together. Something we don’t get to do anymore as she is “off on her own” in activities. I was able to see where she was succeeding and still developing as a dancer.
What feedback did you receive from your daughter after? She thought it was very fun
Why was this special for you and your daughter? As parents in a busy world it gets harder and harder to be “really” involved in your kid’s activities. This gave me the chance to!
Would you do it again? Absolutely!
Best memory? The smile on her face and seeing how relaxed she was at the end of the class.
Next in line, dance dad, Todd Nivens:
Who did you participate with? I participated in Parent Participation week with our daughter Ainsley. I went to Ballet, Acro, Ballet tech, and Pre-point. My wife Shannon went to Acro and Jazz.
Were you asked or did you volunteer? Totally volunteered. Insisted really.
Why did you choose to participate? We try to be as involved as possible with both of our kids’ activities. I think it’s important to understand what our kids go through and how hard they work. There’s a lot of technique involved in this art form. Deciding to go was an exercise in empathy-building for me. Sometimes Ainsley gets frustrated when she’s practicing at home and will work on something for what seems like hours. I wanted to know what was making her frustrated without putting her in the position of having to articulate something difficult. I’ve also seen such complete and utter joy in her when she dances and I wanted to experience where that comes from.
What classes did you participate in? Ballet, Acro, Ballet-tech, and Pre Point
Can you tell me a bit about the experience? It was really cool. It was one of the harder things I’ve done. I wanted to make sure that Ainsley knew that I was serious about trying to understand what she did in order to try to be a “perfect” dancer; so I tried really hard. There are some things that an untrained 40(ish) year old just shouldn’t attempt to do 😉 Apparently I sickle (sp?) my right foot (but not my left). Correcting it felt like I may actually need to disengage my right knee. Mostly though, it was a tonne of fun. I can totally see why Ainsley loves dance as much as she does. I also completely understand why she’ll turn the living room or family room into a studio and disappear for hours at a time. Once you get over the self-consciousness, it’s freeing.
What feedback did you receive from your daughter after? Apparently I have great ballerina feet and should take ballet classes. Who knew?
Why was this special for you and your daughter? She was the expert. Dance studios are her turf and she was the leader. Kids need opportunities to teach their parents. While we try to be a collaborative unit, like most families we often have a top-down system for the sake of efficiency: We tell the kids what they need to do, when to do it, and how to do it. Going to dance was a great reminder that kids have expertise of their own to share and that we need to take the time to listen.
Would you do it again? Absolutely. Can’t wait for the next one.
Best memory? As she was getting ready for bed on our last day of parent week’s classes, Ainsley gave me a hug and said “Thanks Dad”.
Well said if I do say so myself. Congrats to all the parents who took part. Putting life on hold and stepping outside your comfort zone isn’t always easy. So pat yourself on the back. For everyone who didn’t get the chance to participate, luckily there is always next year – not to mention a living room or kitchen or bedroom which, as Ainsley has taught her family, can always be transformed into your own personal dance studio in a heartbeat.
If last week was about parents, this upcoming weekend is about students! Stay tuned for highlights from the upcoming Student Appreciation Day on May 3rd from 9 am – 12 pm at Carnival Cinemas! As always, to learn more check us out on Facebook and Instagram or head on over to our website.
