My 3-year-old daughter’s been taking an after-school dance class at our local recreation center. I don’t know what she loves more — the twirling, the tap shoes or shaking it off to Taylor Swift — but I’m glad she’s enjoying herself. I’m just hoping she’s not actually talented.
I recently had the pleasure of meeting the cast of “Dance School Diaries,” a popular YouTube series created by “So You Think You Can Dance” maestro Nigel Lythgoe. The show follows four gifted teenaged ballet dancers — Madison, Lex, Sage and Andrea — as they compete for a shot at the big time.
There are so many good things to say about these wildly talented kids. They are poised, self-possessed, passionate, focused and dedicated to a degree that is rare in someone so young (I recall my teen self practicing piano for a whopping 15 minutes before wandering off to watch Brady Brunch re-runs. Is it any wonder I only know “Chopsticks” today?).
But as a mom, the idea of parenting such a talented kid terrifies me. For one thing, these dancers work at their craft so intensely — Lex said 7-8 hours per day — that most have to be home schooled (my nightmare) and none of them has free time for such typical teen activities as roaming the mall. It worried me that they don’t get the chance to relax and just be kids.
Continued at mom.me…