Every Spring we jump with both feet into dance and gymnastics competitions.
Both girls love dancing and have really grown through their competitions. We don’t do the big conventions yet, just the basic competitions. Ivy competes recreational (less than 3 hours a week of dance) and Jade competes novice (she dances 5.5 hours a week). Next year they will both move up a level.
I love watching them grow in their talents.
It is exciting to watch them grow. But it is also very difficult too. See Jade also does gymnastics 5 hours a week. She is competing level 4 this year but next year she will compete level 5. That means she will increase her hours by about double. If she advances in dance, that means at least 8 hours a week of dance. There is no way to do both.
Lately she has been feeling a bit off and distracted. Sometimes she will just start crying. When I ask her about it, she tells me that she has “a lot on her mind”. She is feeling pressure to make her decision. Even though she has 3 months before she has to make any decision at all.
I wish she didn’t have to decide because I know she loves them both. There is just no way for her to do both and school. Let alone have any family time.
I am grateful for her talents and for her passion. I only wish I could make the decision easier.
Would you let her make her own decision or would you make the decision for her?
I’m late to this one. If it were me, I would assist her in seeing the pros and cons of each one. She might not be able to come up with that herself. Then she decides. It might be the act of making the decision is more important than both the activities in the grand scheme of things. Making a decision and sticking with it is something many people aren’t capable of.
Amy
Twitter: familytrifecta
Reply:
May 30th, 2011 at 9:59 pm
She and I will need to have the conversation. It is stressing her out so much that we are avoiding the topic for a while. 🙂
That’s definitely a tough one. Do you know anyone a little older than her who’s had to make the same or at least a similar decision that you and your daughter could talk to together? There are good points to be made for either side of this issue, but, given that both are “extracurricular” activities, I would let her make the decision unless you actually feel she really deep-down wants you to take the responsibility of the decision-making from her. Best wishes on this.
Tough choice! But a good choice to have.
Twitter: miel_et_lait
She’s so lucky to be multi-talented! Can she do one recreationaly? Then, she’s still involved but for only a few hours a week?
It can’t be easy being a kid these days!
Amy
Twitter: familytrifecta
Reply:
May 11th, 2011 at 10:45 pm
I wish she could. we tried last year and it lasted 2 weeks and she was frustrated that it wasn’t intense nor challenging enough. 🙂