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“I’m such a bad Dance Mum” , is a phrase I hear often.

More often than not, the phrase is said to me by the very BEST kind of dance mum. I am quick to pull them up and correct them because I want them to know how much I appreciate them. I assure them that, in actual fact, they are exactly the right kind of Dance Mum for our studio.

Unfortunately, thanks to the TV trash created by Abbie Lee, the phrase “Dance Mum” conjures up a not so nice image…..

Think over bearing, helicopter style, tiger Mum.

Mostly the complete opposite to what I would class as a “good Dance Mum”.

So what makes a good Dance Mum?

Here are the qualities that, in my experience, make for a perfectly lovely Dance Mum.

Note, I am not using the word perfect here. You see I am a Mum of three and, if there is one thing that having children has taught me,  there is no such thing as the perfect Mum. If you find her please let me know!

My ideal Dance Mum

She may be a little busy, sometimes be frazzled with everything that is on her plate, but she is kind, considerate and has all of the following qualities

  1. She is seeking opportunities to get her child involved in something that is positive, nurturing and fun.
  2. She sees that the benefits of dance are beyond learning steps and knows that it is short term pain, think – many car trips, in exchange for for long term gains, think – life skills.
  3. She is interested and supportive, happy to help with additional practice and attending rehearsals, but not pushy and overbearing.
  4. She is open in her communication and keeps the teacher up to date with anything that may affect her child’s participation in class.
  5. She is helpful and supportive to other mothers around her, think – car pooling, lots of car pooling!
  6. She encourages her child to get involved in activities outside of the dance class setting eg. workshops, social get togethers and help with events, because she knows these fuel her child’s passion and helps to build relationships and friendships that will see her child through some potentially icky times during teenage years.
  7. She is encouraging when her child feels down, helps push through the hard times like getting ready for exams, because she knows the reward on the other side will be worth it and that building resilience is more important than the exam result itself.
  8. She is quietly supportive around the studio, she will do little things like help make props or pack extra hair pins in case any other kid has forgotten theirs. She does this without expecting anything in return.
  9. She is cheering loudly for other students and celebrating their achievements, alongside her child’s.
  10. She is beaming proudly as she watches her child perform on stage, perhaps with a tear in her eye, claps loudly and is forever grateful that she decided to send her child to dance.

Keep doing what you are doing Dance Mums. What you do at our studios does not make for interesting trashy TV, but it does help make awesome humans.