Valentine's dance for 5th graders?

[tink38]

Does anyone else find this a bit strange? My son's school is having a Valentine's dance for his class on the 17th. Do you think this is too youg? I do, but DH doesn't. I know kids are growing up faster these days, (BELIEVE ME, I know!) but I feel weird about my 11 year old going to a dance on a Friday night.

 

[Kimberly815]

I don't have any children, but it does seem a bit young to me. I think I didn't have any dances until 7th and 8th grade.

 

[BeNJeNWaFFLe]

It seems kind of young. Kids still have coodies at that age. So the boys will probably stay on one side of the room and the girls on the other.

 

[tar heel]

Well, if it's like the dances at my son's middle school, the kids won't actually dance with each other. They'll hang out with same sex friends, play games and do dances in a group. They may not even talk to someone of the opposite sex!

 

[Toby'sFriend]

I picture 25 girls out on the floor dancing with each other.

And 25 boys grouped around the edges pushing and shoving at each other, eating all the cookies, and pretending to blow their noses on the Red and Pink streamers.....

 

[Maleficent13]

I picture 25 girls out on the floor dancing with each other.

And 25 boys grouped around the edges pushing and shoving at each other, eating all the cookies, and pretending to blow their noses on the Red and Pink streamers.....

Or actually blowing their nose on it...

My first dance was "graduating" middle school at 13 yo. And it was much the same as Toby's Friend describes.

 

[tink38]

Glad to know I'm not the only one! It's just that he's, um, developing so quickly these days. (I accidentally walked in on him in the bathroom. I will NEVER do that again!) With all the stories y'all have shared, I guess I don't feel as bad about it as I first did. I didn't have my 1st dance until the 8th grade!

 

[BeNJeNWaFFLe]

I picture 25 girls out on the floor dancing with each other.

And 25 boys grouped around the edges pushing and shoving at each other, eating all the cookies, and pretending to blow their noses on the Red and Pink streamers.....

This is exactly what I remember elementary school parties being like.

I didn't have dances until middle school. (6-8th grade.) They were a lot of fun but all the boys would hang out together and the girls would form a circle and dance. There were no mixed groups. Then when a slow song came on, whoever was "dating" at the time would dance together while everyone else sat on the bleachers. Sometimes a boy's friends would come ask you to dance with their friend.

Then the boys would go buy gummi bears and throw them at the girls while playing with the decorations, popping the balloons. Then the girls would freak out about the gummi bears and they would have to go have a meeting about it in the girls room.

 

[wvjules]

My DD is a 5th grader in middle school. They've had dances monthly since the beginning of school. The dance is for all middle schoolers (5-8 grades). I was nervous about the first dance but she has a great group of friends, is responisible and they are heavily chaperoned. Her next dance is the Valentines dance on Feb 10.

I think my first dance was 7th grade in jr. high.

 

[LBAK]

We do dances in middle school (grades 6-8). I think 5th grade is way too young. I liked the old elementary schools, grades K-6. I think 5th & 6th graders are forced to grow up too quickly these days. I say Let them be little for a little while longer!

 

[tink38]

Meetings in the girl's bathroom!! I remember those. Last night DS found an oxford dhirt in his closet that is a hand-me-down from one of my friends. How this item of clothing made it after the hurricane is beyond me, especially since I still can't find my pink bra.) Anyway, I digress. He came out with it and asked me if I could iron it for the dance. I said that I would and he could wear it with his new jeans. "Actually, Mom, I think my tan pants and my topsiders would look much better with this shirt." Um..okay? I had to leave the room because I was trying so hard not to laugh!

 

[horseshowmom]

tink38,

This is OT, but if your son is interested in 4-H, Desoto County has an excellent program (one of the best in the state).

Good luck with the dance!

 

[tink38]

Forgive my ignorance, but what is 4-H? Are you in Desoto coutny?

 

[horseshowmom]

Forgive my ignorance, but what is 4-H? Are you in Desoto coutny?

We're not in Desoto County but did 4-H in Desoto. Their horse program (which we participated in) is the best in the state. In fact, DD just got back from the National competition in Denver where her Horse Bowl team won (she was the individual high point).

Take a look at www.msucares.com . On the left side, you'll see 4-H/Youth. It will tell you a lot about 4-H.

Sometimes people think that 4-H is all about having animals, but it's really not anymore. We did the horse project (DD's a freshman in college now) and do have horses, but there are lots of opportunities in the horse project that you can do without having a horse. Besides the horse project, there are many, many other opportunities to participate (entymology, plants, sewing, cooking, community service, art, etc.). They have lots of fun contests at the Mid-South Fair.

If it looks like something you'd be interested in, PM me, and I'll tell you who to talk to.

 

[tink38]

Thanks for the info. I'll show it to him as soon as homework is done (aarrgh).

 

[daisyduck123]

My DD11 is in the 7th grade...the 7th grade dances consist mainly of boy/girl chatting...not much dancing at all.

 

[disneymom3]

Way too young. Our society is taking things that used to be for older kids and making them for younger and younger kids all the time. Personally it makes me ill. Let them just be little for as long as they can be.

 

[TinkerBelle2992]

I am in eigth grade now, and when I was in fifth, it was the year before the moved sixth to the middle school. The sixth grade always had a Valentines Day dance and a graduation dance, so that year the fifth grade got one too, and now every year they do. It mainly consisted of the girls dancing or standing with their friends, and the boys, too. And with slow songs, who ever was "going out" with each other danced, while everyone took pictures because they thought it was the funniest thing that so-and-so and dancing with so-and-so.

 

[LaLa]

DS's school just had a Christmas Dance. He is in the SECOND grade. Yup, it was for the elementary kids, K-5. He came home a few weeks before the dance and informed me that he had joined a 'Dance Club' along with 4 of his little friends and they were going to 'hang out together' at the dance. Yes, they were all boys. Girls are still gross at this point.
He was SO excited about it. I didn't know really what to think about it until I chaperoned (ya better believe Mama wasn't missin' THAT action ) and realized it was all just one big free for all. He had said that some of the older kids were asking dates but I did not see one single 'couple'. All the boys were together and all the girls were together. It really was cute and the kids just loved it.

When a song came on that they all liked, all you could hear was one high pitched scream in unison as they all ran out onto the dancefloor. Gave me flashbacks of the club back in the day. Yikes.

DS has learned how to do THE WORM, aka the Centipede, from somewhere and at the dance, I look around and can't see him. I spot his friends and then lo and behold, there is my son, my firstborn, down on the ground, doing the worm with all his fellow Dance Club members crowded around him staring at him like he has lost his everlovin' mind.

Hope he has fun. Volunteer and be there if you can. You won't regret it.

 

[BuzznBelle'smom]

A few years back, our elementary school was K-6, and they had dances for grades 4-6. I was SOOO relieved that they stopped this--now we go K-5. I thought 4th grade was way too young!

My DD is in fifth, and she'd still rather eat a bug than be caught touching a B-O-Y. Now, I'm not naive enough to think this will last forever, but a couple more years, please?

Middle school is 6-8, and I know they have dances. DD may want to go because she loves to dance, but I don't see the B-O-Y thing being part of the equation--of course, it'll probably hit me between the eyes one of these days, but hopefully I'll see it coming!