It is one of the first realizations that your baby is growing up, and it can be difficult to handle. It might make it a little bit easier if you knew what to expect at the dance. Here is a quick guide for parents on your tween's first middle school dance.
Nowadays, children are being forced to grow up more quickly than ever. Parents find that their children are asking questions about certain subjects at a much younger age than ever before. It is hard to see your tween growing up so quickly, but you need to provide a strong, stable environment for your children. They need to understand your ground rules, and those rules need to leave no room for deviation. This will be very important as your tween attends a middle school dance.
Music at a Middle School Dance
Administrators may surprisingly allow music that you may not be accustomed to your tween listening to. They mainly do this in order to attract tweens to the dance. If popular songs are not played, tweens simply will not come out to support the dance.
It is often hard to limit a child's exposure to certain music and media. However, how you deal with this can impact your tween's reaction as well. Sexually-oriented music seems to be the norm in mainstream music. There are several songs that are very popular that do not portray a good message for children. Speak to your child about the concerns you have. While the type of music being played may not be used as a main reason for a child not to attend, it should at least open the door for some good cross communication between a parent and a child.
Chaperones: Parents Can Volunteer
You will usually find several chaperones at a school dance. It is usually a mixture of teachers, administrators, and parents. Many times dances are held in the gymnasium, and often the tweens spend several days decorating for the special event.
Often a theme is provided for the children to dress for. This can be a lot of fun for the children as they try to figure out what to wear. If there is no theme, you can bet your tween will be trying on a lot of clothes to achieve their particular "coolness factor." Stand your ground as a parent and make sure your rules for dress are adhered to. As a tween, children are beginning to really assert their own individuality, but there need to be limits.
Dancing at the Dance
It seems that provocative dancing is also the norm anymore. As a parent, you may not want your tween involved in such activities. But once again, this could be another instance where you can communicate and reinforce your moral standards for your children before they attend the dance.
Middle school dances can be one of the best memories your tween will ever have. They can also be one of the worst if the child is a wall-flower and does not dance. Be sure to talk to your child about the social settings, and try to help them understand that not dancing does not mean that they are not liked by other children. Tweens are sometimes leery of rejection, but they need to realize that rejection is not the end of the world.
Above all, let your child have fun, but try your best to ensure it is "good" fun. You child will be happier if you set ground rules. They may just have a difficult time letting you know.
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