Dance dance dance quit

After two years of dance, Alice hung up her tap shoes.  She really hates tights (they're too tight) and leotards (they itch her armpits).  Getting her ready for dance class the last few months has been less than fun.  It took up to 30 minutes to get her tights and leotard on, often with lots of tears and tantrums.  So we're done.  Alice wants to try gymnastics in the fall because no shoes allowed.  We'll see how she handles the leotards in gymnastics.

While I watched her dance her last recital, a bit of melancholy hit me.  I love watching her dance and getting her all dressed up for her recitals.  Never again.  

I also felt a little bad that my kids can't stick with anything.  We've tried baseball, soccer, dance, karate, and now Rex is in swimming but after the first practice said he wanted to quit.  I didn't let him.  Maybe that's why other kids play so many sports year after year.  It's not an option.  Rex still plays the piano.  I don't think he particularly likes it but he knows that piano isn't an option.  He must take piano.  And when Alice turns 6, she will start piano, and the same with Henry and Zora.  My kids will all learn to play the piano well.  

I could probably force Alice to dance again.  Buy some toeless tights and tell her to deal with it.  I think she'd do it.  Rex would have played another year of baseball if I'd signed him up.

But children have so little control over their lives and they only have so long to just enjoy being children that I don't want to force them to do any extracurricular activities (except piano, of course).  This is one thing where they can have choice.  And if they choose relax and play outside that's ok with me.  There's a lot to learn from just playing outside.  And there's a lot to say for just being a child.  I didn't play any sports as a young child and I turned out ok.  I played capture the flag and street hockey and just enjoyed being young.  In high school I found my sport calling (running) and just a year ago Greg found his (mountain biking).  So I'll just let my kids experiment until they find their sport or not, just as long as they keep playing outside.

I will say this was particularly sweet and reminded me (once again) why Greg is such a good dad because I would never do this--he did the daddy-daughter dance with Alice.  He's in the back to the far left.  It was such a sweet dance and I remembered that Greg really is a good dancer.

Alice and Greg are to the far left in the back.

Alice and her sweet dance partner.