cbifoja
Proud Parent
Bella has very recently began taking ballet to help with her artistry deficiencies. We found a studio after much searching that fit with our schedule and proximity to gym/home. It was a lot of work and she has to miss a little bit of gym time but her coach was supportive of the dance class so it was a go. I say this because switching dance studios isn't an option.
One of the instructors, who from what I can tell is the daughter of the owner, has small children who predictably are there all the time and have the run of the place. The kids don't seem to go into the dance studios but rather play in the lobby, offices, and hallways. So, no big deal.
Last night, the little boy (probably around 3?), was playing with a plastic sword. As my daughter was walking down the hall, he approached her and out of no where, whacked her on the hand with the sword. Bella was startled and started shaking her hand. It probably stung quite a bit and her finger did turn red but it's not like it was a big injury. A couple minutes later, the little boy hit my daughter. Again, not an injury and she's fine. However, as I sat waiting for Bella to come out, I noticed that he was hitting several of the dancers as they were changing into different shoes.
Now I feel uncomfortable, both as a customer and a mom. As a customer, I expect that my child won't be assaulted when she is simply walking down the hall. LOL As a mother, I would want to know if my child were misbehaving so I could give the correction and consequences of continued misbehavior.
The mother was not witness to the behavior, and I'm not judging her mothering techniques, but I will say what interactions I've seen seem to indicate that she is more of a lax parent. For example, she asks him to come into the office to sit with her and he ran down the hall. Mom didn't insist that he follow her direction. Again, every kid needs a different parenting style so there may be reasons that she didn't make it an issue.
I figure I have a couple of options.
1. Path of least resistance. Say nothing. Do nothing. Put up with it. (This one really annoys me as a mother and teacher.)
2. Talk to the owner who I have never spoken to about the behavior of her grandson.
3. Talk to the mother who I've had several pleasant conversations with about the behavior of her son.
4. Withdraw from dance altogether, which would upset Bella and her coach.
#2 and 3 make me nervous because people don't tend to take it well when they feel like you are criticizing their child or parenting. It has never bothered me personally when people tell me times that Bella has misbehaved but my past experience has shown that many parents do get bothered.
And keep in mind that this is a LITTLE boy. He is still in the instructional phase of learning not to hit. So I can cut him a lot of slack but it would sit better with me if I felt like his mother was addressing this. And how can she address it if she is unaware?
So tell me Chalkbucket parents, how would you handle this?
One of the instructors, who from what I can tell is the daughter of the owner, has small children who predictably are there all the time and have the run of the place. The kids don't seem to go into the dance studios but rather play in the lobby, offices, and hallways. So, no big deal.
Last night, the little boy (probably around 3?), was playing with a plastic sword. As my daughter was walking down the hall, he approached her and out of no where, whacked her on the hand with the sword. Bella was startled and started shaking her hand. It probably stung quite a bit and her finger did turn red but it's not like it was a big injury. A couple minutes later, the little boy hit my daughter. Again, not an injury and she's fine. However, as I sat waiting for Bella to come out, I noticed that he was hitting several of the dancers as they were changing into different shoes.
Now I feel uncomfortable, both as a customer and a mom. As a customer, I expect that my child won't be assaulted when she is simply walking down the hall. LOL As a mother, I would want to know if my child were misbehaving so I could give the correction and consequences of continued misbehavior.
The mother was not witness to the behavior, and I'm not judging her mothering techniques, but I will say what interactions I've seen seem to indicate that she is more of a lax parent. For example, she asks him to come into the office to sit with her and he ran down the hall. Mom didn't insist that he follow her direction. Again, every kid needs a different parenting style so there may be reasons that she didn't make it an issue.
I figure I have a couple of options.
1. Path of least resistance. Say nothing. Do nothing. Put up with it. (This one really annoys me as a mother and teacher.)
2. Talk to the owner who I have never spoken to about the behavior of her grandson.
3. Talk to the mother who I've had several pleasant conversations with about the behavior of her son.
4. Withdraw from dance altogether, which would upset Bella and her coach.
#2 and 3 make me nervous because people don't tend to take it well when they feel like you are criticizing their child or parenting. It has never bothered me personally when people tell me times that Bella has misbehaved but my past experience has shown that many parents do get bothered.
And keep in mind that this is a LITTLE boy. He is still in the instructional phase of learning not to hit. So I can cut him a lot of slack but it would sit better with me if I felt like his mother was addressing this. And how can she address it if she is unaware?
So tell me Chalkbucket parents, how would you handle this?
