The Princess, at her request, started ballet classes before Christmas. We paid for the gear and we paid for the lessons. After two weeks, she said that she didn’t like it and she wanted to give up. I wouldn’t let her on the grounds that I think it’s bad for her to be able to take up and give up things on a whim (we have previously had a similar experience with swimming, I can only rejoice that I have never succombed to requests for a pony).
The ballet teacher has already taken me aside and told me that the Princess shows no interest in class. Last Saturday, I was called aside again. They are having a show at the end of March. As I understood it, the Princess was to be the seventh snowdrop of seven. No longer. The ballet teacher said that since the Princess was inclined to wander off, she was worried that she would fall off the stage. The stage is very high. In my heart of hearts, I believe that the ballet teacher’s real problem is that she does not want one of her snowdrops to be out of time and wandering aimlessly around the stage and she is using health and safety concerns to achieve this objective.  I do sympathise but, at the same time, they are only 5; how much can the Princess be ruining the performance? The ballet teacher is obviously very keen to get rid of the Princess as she has offered (enthusiastically) to refund me the fees for the term.
The Princess is, understandably, a bit upset that she won’t be in the concert but I think she would bear up very well, if she knew that she could give up ballet. We have given her a chance to put her defence which goes as follows a) she cannot hear the teacher b) it is too complicated c) it is too cold d) she does stay with the group and e) it’s not fair.
Internet, what should I do?
