Sunday, May 02, 2010

Taking the Toddler to the Ballet


Friend: You have got to be kidding! You're seriously thinking of taking your 17 month old to the ballet?

Me: (puzzled) Why not? I took her last year and she slept through the entire ballet.

Friend: That was last year! She's a toddler now. You've got to be crazy! (giggling) I'd never even think of taking my kids to anything like that. They wouldn't sit through it. It would be a disaster.

Me: Well, my niece is expecting us to be there to see her perform. She's playing Peter Pan in the ballet "Peter Pan". It's a pretty big thing! Family events like this are very important to us.

Friend: You wouldn't think of leaving her with your parents for this?

Me: Well, I'm sure she'd have a blast with Lola and Grampy! We just wouldn't think of leaving her unless we absolutely had to. We don't go anywhere without our daughter if we can help it.

Friend: You'd enjoy it a lot more if you didn't have to worry about her having a meltdown in public or behaving badly.

Me: She's actually pretty good when we're out. Hasn't had a meltdown or behaved "badly" in public. Sure, she sometimes makes a little noise if she's tired. Other than that, she does what a toddler is supposed to do. She does enjoy music and dance though. We'll see. Plus, I don't think Hubby or I would enjoy a family outing without our daughter.

Friend: Consider it a date or some time just the two of you.

Me: Nah. We're going to take her to the ballet. I think it's important to give her the opportunity to enjoy the arts and learn how to behave in public. She needs to learn that going to functions like these are things that are normal for us and hopefully she'll enjoy it and learn to appreciate it.

Friend: Call me tonight and let me know how it goes. Good luck!

Actually, I do realize that Little One is older now and doesn't sleep through concerts, movies, church, or other social events anymore. This was sort of a trial run though. Hubby, Little One, my Mom, my friends, my mother-in-law, sister-in-law and nieces are coming to see the musical I'm in this summer. I wanted to see how Little One would fare at the ballet before Hubby brings her to the play. If she totally couldn't handle being still or quiet for the ballet, maybe my Dad could babysit her and Hubby could enjoy the play.

We were sort of (but not totally) surprised that Little One was amazing during the ballet. She was a bit "bouncy" (she kept jumping up and down with the music) and our arms got a good workout. All in all, she was really well behaved for a 17 month old at the ballet! She was mesmerized by the music and dancing. We were in the front row and she had a great view of all the dancers. She didn't even make any noise. Not even a peep!

Little One clapped at the end of each act and for the standing ovation. It was so cute! She saw that everyone was clapping, so she clapped too. Hubby and I are really proud of our little girlie. Okay, relieved too. Very relieved.

Poor kid went to bed way before her normal bedtime! We were out late last night because we spent time with Hubby's family. We were out all day today with church this morning, lunch with friends, and then family time and the ballet in the afternoon. Hubby keeps reminding me how very blessed we are. We do have a pretty good kid. I have to remember this every time she throws all our clean and folded laundry all over our house or shreds all the Kleenex and newspaper in Hubby's office.
Have a listen to some songs that have been entered in the Manitoulin Tourism Association song contest. They reflect how truly beautiful "the Island" is.

If you haven't entered the "Read to your Bunny" contest yet, there's still time. The contest closes tomorrow and the winner will be announced on Tuesday!

The deadline for the Iams ProActive Health contest is still open. If you've got a special four-legged family member of the canine variety, enter for your chance to win a free bag of dog food!

2 comments:

hotmommy said...

your brave! we don't bring our kids to anything like tthat. they're horrible at sitting still-they just won't! "little one" on the other hand sounds like a very good baby; you're lucky you can take her places and her not having a meltdown or acting up. very lucky you!

Unknown said...

HM:
She can get pretty talkative and noisy at home. Generally, she's quiet and attentive when we're out though. People always wonder why she's so quiet and ask us if she makes any noise. At home she's pretty LOUD and non-stop chatting.

From Our Farm to Your Table

Blog Archive

Farmers Feed Cities

You Can Find Me Here!




Affiliates

Brand Ambassador for

For Fellow Bloggers

Connect With Advertisers - Sign up for SocialSpark!
A Reliable Blogger

Proud Recipient

© 2006 - 2012 Life on Manitoulin. All Rights Reserved. Powered by Blogger.

About the Blog Author


City girl moves to the country, falls in love, and marries a farmer. She tries to incorporate her city ways with her new country lifestyle and blogs to keep in touch with friends, family & students who live far, far away :) Can this city girl go country? Watch as she learns all sorts of exciting things about life on the farm and in a small rural community. *UPDATE* We are now parents! Our baby girl was born on Nov. 11, 2008 (at 28 weeks gestation- 12 weeks premature, but she's quite the trooper)!!!
Contact Me

Les Boutons!

Life on Manitoulin: Just a bunch of ramblings from a city girl gone country!

Life on Manitoulin: Just a bunch of ramblings from a city girl gone country!

Let's Connect

Members

Support


Photobucket


Related Posts with Thumbnails