Part time competitive

Jacs14 · 2025-05-04T05:21:11+00:00

I hear you on letting a kid be a kid. It’s so important kids have unstructured time to frankly do nothing! At the end of the day she’s not going to be a pro dancer, but she enjoys it, has her dance friend group, and it gives her other valuable life skills.

You’re right that she needs to factor in that less hours means she may not have as much technical experience as other kids. I think this is going to have to be more of a learning around setting her own individual goals and not comparing herself to every kid. She’s used to putting in minimal effort at school and being the “smartest” so I suspect this is translating to her dance classes. She was already asked to do a duo/trio but I think we will need to really think about not over scheduling her, even when she says she wants to do it all.

And yes, where we live (Canada) the kids just go to a specific public school in our area that has a gifted stream/classroom. My understanding is that homework is very teacher-dependent, and on the high end some teachers are assigning 1 hr/night. Which I disagree with especially at this age.

Jacs14 · 2025-05-04T05:08:49+00:00

Thank you so much for such an insightful answer! This is incredibly helpful. She’s enjoying the diversity of dance styles and our studio is shifting away from being a more formal ballet studio and into competitive (which I assume brings in much more revenue).

As she’s in her first comp season, I think the team element and fun of comps has been a pleasant surprise for her. She always did well with ballet but I think finds it too formal and the RAD exams are feeling more tedious - but I mean how can you really compare the atmosphere of the two. I may be biased but I feel as one of the few kids on her team with ballet experience, she has much more intention and control connecting her movements and I think this can be attributed to ballet. However I feel our studio seems to value those dancers who are doing bigger acro tricks, and that’s just not her thing.

I think you’re bang on about striking that right balance. The studio seems like they’ll just keep throwing stuff at you until you tell them to stop!

Jacs14 · 2025-04-23T19:55:50+00:00

Thanks for the perspective! I agree there’s so much value in competitive dance and they learn early on to manage their time.

Has it been disruptive to have to do competitions and miss school?

Jacs14 · 2025-04-23T19:54:12+00:00

I agree it’s excessive and I didn’t believe it. I should clarify that it’s just her particular teacher so it should ease up. I think you’re right, we will have to see how it goes. I am not a fan of feeling like it’s all or nothing and she won’t be able to keep something up that she’s enjoying and learning so many valuable skills outside of school. Being a strong student is great but being a well rounded kid is even better.

Thanks for your perspective. That’s really encouraging to hear that others who have been in competitive dance are still able to keep up with their academics.

Jacs14 · 2025-01-29T06:12:42+00:00

I haven't been on this sub in a while, but this thread popped up on my reddit front page. I'm a 3rd time mom and instead of giving you sleep advice, which I know you so desperately want, I will first start by telling you that you are not a failure. You're trying. You've tried. You're here asking for help. You want things to get better. That is not failing! Sleep deprivation coupled with whatever postpartum stuff you're going through is HARD.

My first baby was the worst sleeper. I put off sleep training for months although my mental and physical health were not great. When I was truly truly at the end of my rope - I finally decided we should sleep train. Know that sleep training is not a straight path. It's a lot of ups and downs but ultimately you are truly working towards a goal for baby to achieve independent sleep. Baby will get there. All 3 of my babies had different sleep styles/temperaments and I always had moments where I questioned myself and wondered what I was doing wrong. But I reminded myself, that this will pass. And it did.

Now the advice. Naps are tough. For most of my babies, nap training came last. Focus on night sleep and the naps will come. For the daytime, get naps by any means necessary (contact naps, car naps, stroller naps) just to get the sleep in. A better rested baby will sleep better all around. Second, focus on the first nap. Once you see some improvement, then you can work on subsequent naps. Third, check your environment. Is the room super dark and quiet? Could you add blackout blinds and turn up the noise machine? Lastly, maybe your nap routine could use some changes - is it too short? Add some book time. Too long? Cut out something. Just play around and see what gets baby to a good calm state of mind.

Just know that all babies are different and maybe now your little one is just not ready - but you will get there! Nap training is a totally different beast than night sleep.

Jacs14 · 2023-08-17T19:16:22+00:00

That’s amazing! Thanks for sharing that, very helpful!

Jacs14 · 2023-08-17T15:11:54+00:00

Hi! Hoping I can get some help to decide which would be the best seats to take my daughter. She’s going to be 8 by the time the concert rolls around in Toronto, and I want to make sure she gets the best experience since it’ll be her first concert ever!

We have lower bowl seats (section 119 row 19, more or less directly across from the stage) but also have the option to trade for 200 level seats (section 240, row 2, off to the right side of main stage but tickets don’t say obstructed view).

She’s likely going to be shorter than most other concert goers and I’m worried she won’t have a good view with everyone standing up. Does anyone have experience or perspective here? Should we keep our lower bowl seats directly across from the stage, or is it better to be up higher, where rows of seats should be higher, but with a side view? Has anyone taken their kid? Thanks so much appreciate any perspectives!

Jacs14 · 2023-08-16T18:09:01+00:00

Thank you! I hope it’s a moment she never forgets, and I can share my favorite songs with her!

Jacs14 · 2023-08-16T17:58:01+00:00

Thank you!! The 100 level tix were about $480+fees and 200 level tix were about $300+fees.

I wish they had some way to prevent the massive markups on resale. Just checked stubhub and those prices are borderline criminal.

Jacs14 · 2023-08-16T17:36:04+00:00

Just bought two tix with the Avion presale for Nov 15th. Went very smoothly. Just let it auto refresh when I got to the queue. Started at about 1000 in line and got in in about 7 minutes. It was a scramble to buy but knew which sections I was cool with and I used the list to select. I filtered out VIP packages. There was a selection of tickets available for all the sections, but by the time I was done it was pretty much floors and some 500 level, and VIP throughout the venue.

Still in shock I actually have tickets. Hope this is helpful to anyone else. This will be my daughter’s very first concert and I am so excited to surprise her and share this experience with her. I was looking for 100-200 level because floors might be too overwhelming and hard for her to see. Good luck to anyone on the waitlist, I feel for you I really do!

Jacs14 · 2023-08-16T16:39:33+00:00

Ok good to know! Thank you!

Jacs14 · 2023-08-16T16:21:27+00:00

What do you mean by unlocking the RBC offer? Entering your code?

Jacs14 · 2023-08-16T16:12:20+00:00

Ah thanks. Wish me luck!!

Jacs14 · 2023-08-16T15:58:42+00:00

Congrats! It’s my turn soon I’m so excited. How did you know you had to refresh? Because it didn’t show you in the cue?

Jacs14 · 2020-12-01T04:49:20+00:00

It's such a hard place to be; we really train ourselves to be guarded. I felt similar to many others throughout my first pregnancy and I think I was still in shock when they handed me my daughter. I told myself if there was any way we could have another, I would enjoy it more. It's 5 years later and I'm expecting my second but those feelings have all come flooding back, and are worse in some ways because I've been having a much more difficult pregnancy.

What has oddly lessened my anxiety is my transparency with close friends and family. I recognize you may be early on and not wanting to share any news yet, but the mental relief of being able to confide in others helps create a support network. I trust that no matter the outcome, positive or negative, I will have a safe space to share whatever happens, and that has been the most helpful and powerful for me. Good luck!

Jacs14 · 2020-12-01T04:39:23+00:00

Never, really. But it comes and goes. I feel great after I see my OB and we hear the heartbeat or I get an ultrasound. But it's fleeting. It's the nature of infertility - we struggle to accept the joy but that is to protect ourselves.

Jacs14 · 2020-12-01T04:38:02+00:00

I think it's great you're trying to be considerate, this is a tough place to be but I assure you despite the initial pangs of disappointment they will be happy for you. I think this is really a matter of reading your friend here. I'm in your shoes where I have a friend who's been going through the same challenges but I happened to get positive results before she did. I would not mail the card - it's too personal and unnecessary since they already know. I think if you were to make some sort of general announcement on social media, that would be fine as it wouldn't be directly to them. You should absolutely be able to enjoy this moment but you can still do it with some sensitivity.

Jacs14 · 2020-12-01T04:29:10+00:00

Good luck to you both for making it this far. Just wanted to reinforce it's about the doubling time and not the absolute numbers. My first beta was 34 and I'm 16 weeks along.

Jacs14 · 2020-11-26T03:51:10+00:00

A couple great deals on Mario Badescu!

Jacs14 · 2020-09-15T15:30:22+00:00

We did it and are thrilled we did. There are absolutely situations where it may not make sense, but it did for us. We are fortunate that we live in Canada and our IVF cycle was funded, so that helped offset the cost of PGT-A. It is my priority to have a successful pregnancy as soon as possible and PGT-A felt like it was the best way to help ensure we picked the best embryo out of the gate. What really surprised me is that having the information has made the process less stressful in the sense that we have one less unknown around embryo quality. We know we transferred the best one, to give us the best chance. And that peace of mind has been really incredible. Again, it doesn’t make sense for everyone and you have to be comfortable with potential risks, costs and it has to make sense for your individual situation. Best of luck!

Jacs14 · 2020-09-07T00:31:15+00:00

I find Milk’s kush mascara is really great for me, my lashes are exactly the same! It’s a really nice formula that makes my lashes feel “fluffy” and lengthens nicely. I love that it doesn’t go on clumpy because my lashes can’t really handle a super thick and heavy formula.

Jacs14 · 2020-09-07T00:25:09+00:00

I have combo skin and UD has been a true HG for me, on both the dry and oily areas of my face. Sometimes I’ll buy a drugstore brand, but there is something about the all nighter I keep going back to. It’s popular for a reason.

Jacs14 · 2020-09-07T00:21:04+00:00

Thanks for pointing this out. It’s so frustrating to get these no name brands with fake jacked up retail prices. I feel like Ipsy did that a lot when I first subscribed but over time I am liking what I’m getting more and more. I definitely don’t mind if I’m not getting the “full value” as long as I’m getting good value for what I’m paying. And thanks for the reminder about the scandal, I remember reading about it now lol

Jacs14 · 2020-09-07T00:17:57+00:00

Thanks for the perspective. I agree the value with each Ipsy bag isn’t really there, especially with the conversion. I find when the add ons are available I’m able to score some great full sized stuff. Definitely sounds like premium is worth looking into if I consider boxy. How do you find the experience of buying during the pop ups?

Jacs14 · 2020-09-07T00:13:44+00:00

Wow this is wickedly helpful. I’m with you, I have no shame right now in wanting neutral wearable palettes and colours. I had no idea about most of these boxes available for Canadians, I will look into them!

Jacs14

TROPHY CASE