Pinky started ballet and tap dance a little over a month ago at Dance & Company in San Diego. She had a rough first week of class, but she has been showing signs of improvement each week!
This is the first time Pinky is being asked to do something on her own, without Mommy so it has been quite challenging for her. Because we are so attached to each other, she has a hard time enjoying class without me in the room. While getting ready for dance class or on the way to dance class she will say, “Mommy don’t leave me in there”! She wants me to stay in the studio, and will not have it if I set foot outside to watch from the window. Even if she can still see me watching from outside, she runs to the door crying.
I’ve come to the realization that we need to do everything in baby steps. I stopped trying to just leave the room and decided to go along and grant her wishes. Then I slowly started removing myself from the room 5 minutes before class ended, 10 minutes and so on. This seemed to work for a while. This past weekend I was able to sit with one foot in the studio and one foot out with the door open. Good thing the instructor and owner are flexible with these situations and understand the importance of providing a safe and welcoming environment for each child! Sometimes I feel bad that I am the only parent in there, but I am quickly reminded that each child is different. Again, I am grateful for the patience of the staff, it helps put me at ease to know I am doing the the best thing for my child.
Back to the Pinky Promise…After Saturday class, Miss Sandy will ask Pinky if next week Mommy can sit outside. Each week Pinky will just walk away and ignore her request. But last week, she and Miss Sandy made a Pinky Promise that she will take class while Mommy watches from the window and not inside of class. I hope she knows what she got herself into because as you can see, I’ve got the picture to prove it! Honestly, I don’t want to push her into being independent of me, but I know that taking these steps will help her towards that goal which will help her in the long run. As important as it is, it is also a hard task, but I know this is only the beginning!
Stay tuned to see if Pinky keeps her promise!
On a side note…I hope this photo of Pinky in dance class will make your day! It should being that it got 86 likes and 17 comments on Facebook not too long after I posted it! Enjoy!
