And just like that, my newbie dance mom status is out the window. This past Sunday, both of my girls performed at their first dance recital. Through these 10 months of bringing them to their classes, I’ve experienced a host of emotions and thoughts. Here lies my 7 Confessions of a First Time Dance Mom:

1) I may be living vicariously through them.

There was a time when I wished I was a ballerina. I was 6 and visiting some relatives on my mom’s side of the family. My mom’s aunt’s granddaughters were the same age as my sister and me. In their house, there were countless photos of these 2 sisters in their ballerina attire. I remember wishing I had the opportunity to take ballet. It was one of those things that would never happen. My parents’ idea of an “extra-curricular” activity was daycare after school. I was already enrolled…

2) Dance mom cliques don’t scare me.

In every setting, there will be cliques. How do you break into them? How do you belong? How do you get accepted? Do you really care? I don’t. I guess it helped that I already knew 2 dance mom buddies there my 1st year.

But if you know me, you probably know that I can make friends with a coat hanger. I’m an extrovert by nature. Essentially, dance mom cliques don’t scare me. It’s having to sit through mind-numbing conversations that do. That didn’t happen because I was too busy yapping myself to overhear any other conversations. 😉

3) Oversights happened more than once.

You guys may have read a previous post (link here) on how I missed an observation class for my 7 year old. Well, forgetting to purchase tickets during the time listed (they had lottery system) was another. To spare you all the details, let’s just say I could’ve purchased better seats with the lottery number I drew. This dance mom thing of remembering all these dates and details is much harder than I thought. 😉

4) Recital “Picture Day” is 10 times more stressful than School “Picture Day.”

After all the prep I had to do for Ellie and Lauren’s recital photos, I will never again complain about getting them ready for school photos. I never had to put make up on the kids for school photos nor have I ever needed to empty a can of hairspray to make sure every strand of hair stayed pulled back. The only good thing about this ordeal is the fact that the pictures did come out perfect.

You can see their photos framed below. P.S. Don’t judge me because I decorated for their recital. I just wanted the girls to know it was a special day. 🙂

5) I surprised myself with my “hair bun” skills.

I originally planned to bring the girls to the salon for their ballerina updo. But a few days before the recital, I attempted to use a “hair donut” to get their hair in a perfect bun. Turns out, it wasn’t as hard as I originally thought! Here’s how their hair came out on recital day:

6) All negatives go out the window when you see your child on stage. 

Despite the added responsibility of having both girls enrolled in dance (not to mention time and money spent), when you see your child on the big stage, nothing else seems to matter. I would do this year all over again in a heartbeat knowing what I know now.

7) Top 5 Proudest Moments as their mom.

This past Sunday can easily be recorded as one of the “top 5 proudest moments” I’ve experienced as a mom. The fact that the kids were on that big stage, without fear, completely impressed me in ways I cannot describe.

These 2 dancers below as well as their dancer friends should be very proud of themselves!

Here I am with the girls the morning of their recital:

So, in these 10 months, I’ve certainly learned a thing or two about being a dance mom. The biggest takeaway is how glad I am to have enrolled them in dance. They may not pursue dance past another year or two (hopefully they will) but just knowing that they had a chance to experience something I wanted as a kid makes this mom h-a-p-p-y.

Last Sunday was an amazing day for our little family. This newbie dance mom was especially proud!

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As always, thanks for reading! Xo, Tee.

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