Toddler class rant

[Anonymous]

I think you need a big badge that says Parent Police because it's not going to get better, you will be like this forever. Every class, every sports team, until college unless you get addicted and then you might do it there too. Every youth sports team has That Parent and it is you.

[Anonymous]

My children didn’t start participating in organized activities until the age of 4, and even then it was like herding cats.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So, I taught gymnastics for many years, and most recently ran a toddler and pre-school program. I don't know what gym OP is at, but a lot of places have a loosely structured toddler and pre-school class--but there are still limits. It is not "Do 5 leg lifts, then jump 10 times on the trampoline, now walk backwards on the beam." (Or, at least, it shouldn't be!)

Typically, there's a circuit the kids go around so they are always (or nearly always) moving, and while there are often suggested things to do at each station, if a kid does something else, whatever. What is not cool in these parent-participation classes is:

Not supervising your kid! Don't let them run off. That's how they get hurt. Or bite another kid. Yes, I've seen it happen. More than once.

Not helping your kid share the equipment and take turns. We all love the trampoline. SHARE. Please.

Any gymnastics program where there's a lot of sitting around is not a good one. But I assure you any class, even one for toddlers, that isn't "open free time" needs SOME level of structure, if only to keep everyone safe.

And it's okay if your kid can't handle that loose structure! It really is. Try again later. No one wants you to have a bad experience because we're constantly having to hound you to keep Larlo under control or please have Larla share and take turns on the slide. if it's not working, it's not working. I'd much rather you try again in a few months than spend weeks resenting me for reminding you that no, Larla should not be trying to climb onto the high beams.

Great perspective on the level of structure.

[Anonymous]

What were the teachers doing during all this?

My 4 year old is in a ballet class, and parents do not intervene. The teacher ably handles any horseplay, inattention, or other misbehavior. These things happen, since the kids are young (4-6), but the teacher immediately addresses it and keeps the class moving.

If your response is "But these are 2 year olds, of course the teacher can't manage all of their misbehavior at once," that's just more confirmation that the class is not age appropriate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you have an issue with this class, you'd really have a problem with your kid going to preschool.

Also, you should know that free play is really important at that age. It's concerning to me that no free play is allowed in that class. Usually it's a mix of activities and free play.

Not sure what you mean about preschool. No parents are there, so no one to complain about.

And FWIW I am very into free play, but in this particular case, it's not supposed to be. This isn't Gymboree where the instructors don't care. It's a crowded gymnastics studio where they're rotating multiple classes through various obstacle courses etc and you really need to stay with your group.

Why would you do that to your kid?

As a former preschool teacher, I can tell the kids who have been in really developmentally inappropriate classes like this one. They're the ones who have learned to misbehave in class. Whereas if parents weren't so competitive and just waited until kids were ready, they'd participate enthusiastically.

Seriously, terrible choice OP.

You are dead wrong, PP. An actual preschool teacher here and these type of classes are absolutely developmentally appropriate for the vast majority of toddlers.

I bet you give your two-year-old worksheets too!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think you need a big badge that says Parent Police because it's not going to get better, you will be like this forever. Every class, every sports team, until college unless you get addicted and then you might do it there too. Every youth sports team has That Parent and it is you.

Not sure what you mean here?

It is true that I know I will hate any parent who screams at their kid and yells at the refs and coaches during kids' sports. But I don't think that's what you mean here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What were the teachers doing during all this?

My 4 year old is in a ballet class, and parents do not intervene. The teacher ably handles any horseplay, inattention, or other misbehavior. These things happen, since the kids are young (4-6), but the teacher immediately addresses it and keeps the class moving.

If your response is "But these are 2 year olds, of course the teacher can't manage all of their misbehavior at once," that's just more confirmation that the class is not age appropriate.

It sound like OP is doing a parent participation class. We used to call it Mommy-and-Me gymnastics. Parents are expected to be fully engaged and active in class.

Gymnastics classes for the 4 to 6 year old set are without parents.

[Anonymous]

I was seriously considering signing up for a 2yo Mommy and Me class at my local competitive gym, and I am SO GLAD this forum convinced me to sign up for MyGym instead. They have ~10-15 minutes of circle time total in a 50 minute class, most of which is active stretching or similar so it doesn't get boring. The rest is essentially free play. DD loves it! The thought of having to trudge in a line from one piece of equipment to another sounds horrible. I'll keep her in MyGym until she grows out of it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think you need a big badge that says Parent Police because it's not going to get better, you will be like this forever. Every class, every sports team, until college unless you get addicted and then you might do it there too. Every youth sports team has That Parent and it is you.

I think you need to examine why you're taking OP's post so personally.

[Anonymous]

Find a gym where your two year can take a class without you having to be out there. My two year old is in a class and her teachers have it completely under control. It’s so much better than the one took where parents participated and it’s a lot safer. This is a non-competitive gym fwiw.

[Anonymous]

Try gaining some perspective by reading other forums where the focus is on older kids. Depression, drugs, bullying etc etc. Then ask yourself whether it’s worth worrying about the crap you mention. If you still answer yes, then Godspeed. You have a looooonnngg parenting road ahead of you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Try gaining some perspective by reading other forums where the focus is on older kids. Depression, drugs, bullying etc etc. Then ask yourself whether it’s worth worrying about the crap you mention. If you still answer yes, then Godspeed. You have a looooonnngg parenting road ahead of you.

So you never complain about anything because it could always be worse? Sure, Jan.

[Anonymous]

If you read OP's post, she's really mostly talking about other parents not teaching their toddlers how to share and take turns. I think it's okay to be annoyed that the other parents aren't helping their kids with this. 2-year-old's can definitely be told to wait and to take turns. Why else are you going to toddler classes if not to help your kids with group social skills?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you read OP's post, she's really mostly talking about other parents not teaching their toddlers how to share and take turns. I think it's okay to be annoyed that the other parents aren't helping their kids with this. 2-year-old's can definitely be told to wait and to take turns. Why else are you going to toddler classes if not to help your kids with group social skills?

So they can run and climb and jump and slide and have fun! I completely agree that waiting and taking turns is important, but if that is the focus of the class and is dominating class time, then it doesn't sound fun at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you read OP's post, she's really mostly talking about other parents not teaching their toddlers how to share and take turns. I think it's okay to be annoyed that the other parents aren't helping their kids with this. 2-year-old's can definitely be told to wait and to take turns. Why else are you going to toddler classes if not to help your kids with group social skills?

So they can run and climb and jump and slide and have fun! I completely agree that waiting and taking turns is important, but if that is the focus of the class and is dominating class time, then it doesn't sound fun at all.

Seriously! My 20 month old is in a gymnastics class this winter because it is someplace for her to run around a padded room and blow off some steam. I mean, I don't let her cut in front of other kids but I am also not going to methodically take her through an entire course and honestly I am not going to get up in arms if 2 year old gets in front of her a few times for something.