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[quote=Anonymous]From the dance mom perspective...no, it is not worth it.

We were in this world for only two years with a studio in a competitive environment, so practice times and weekend travel was fairly intense as you described.

What I learned was that the owners/coaches want to pretend that this is every kid's world and future. Most parents we met enjoyed supporting their kids and wanted them to improve and do well but were not interested in this as a career path for their 8-year-old. Many had a great experience on other teams. We had a really terrible experience with a coach who frequently made the girls cry and was demeaning and insulting to the team as a tactic for getting them to push their bodies past their limits. When my DD was having fun while putting in the work, it was worth the time and money. But when she started coming home every week in tears, it was ridiculous. I would love to say that bringing the concern to the owner fixed the problem, but it did not, as the owner simply used the meeting to praise the coach in question and reinforce that this was just a normal part of dance. This could be true. But we decided that, true or not, we were not willing to normalize that for our child.

Parents have to make their own decisions, but I caution that we should all be mindful of what is happening in closed practices and be sure to check in with your child about their mental well being. Beware of studios that talk of their studio as a FAMILY. They are not your family. (Not that intelligent people don't know this, already, but children are impressionable and may need reminders that you are their family, and if something doesn't feel right, they need to come to you.) Our experience was disappointing. And if our concerns had been addressed differently, we would still be there. Winning at any cost can become too important if you let it. But most parents have a good sense of how much is too much for their kid.
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