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My son today said he wanted to do ballet He said that boys say 'haha you're a girl if you do ballet but I don't care' He seemed really keen so I rang my daughters ballet teacher who said another boy does it so he is going to give it a try. I was really in two minds because I thought he might be teased but he seems determined. My daughter said he could be the next Billy Elliot Anyone got a son that did ballet?

If I'd ever said I wanted to do ballet, my dad would have disowned me but thats just him.

well his father isn't going to be too chuffed for CERTAIN! but he really wants to do it so maybe he is the next Billy Elliot

Oh HC I wanted my son to do ballet. He spends his entire time during football matches, skipping around the pitch and is very light on his feet, but his dad wouldn't hear of it. Gave it all the 'No son of mine' malarky

my son went to football and spent his whole time running along the lines of the pitch! We didn't stick to it long!

Well mine runs away from the ball, but everytime I threaten to stop taking him he tells me how much he loves it.

I always want to pretend I'm someone elses mum as he is so bad.

HC - listen to your son - and give a try! Dancing is hard work - and your son seems to have already awesome character!

My son likes dancing, but he had a bad experience when he was 6 years old and he was in a sport camp: one of the events was a dancing class (hip-hop etc.) and he enjoyed it, until girls at the same age started to hunt him! He was six and he couldn't understand why he was suddenly so popular to those girls! But his father (my hb) has been training traditional folk dances when he was a child (because that kind of dancing runs in his familys male members through the generations) and I know two sons of my friends that are training classical dance and one son of my friend recently changed to study at alternative pedagogy -school where they 'dance' as well, every day.

My son is only 7 and since he could walk he's been dancing, he watches MTV and copies all of them. It's hilarious. He wins all the dance competitions at other kids' parties.
It's like he knows what sort of dance to do to each kind of music.
His music teacher asked to see me (I assumed he'd said something naughty ) and asked if he went to dance school as she's never seen a young boy his age express himself so well to different kinds of music and apparently he's the tal;k of the staffroom, anyway, enough of the show-off mum bit....the thing is, he is football mad and a right tearaway. He plays in a premier league team and isn't at all what people might call sissy but he's joined the dance club at school lunchtimes (if I could find a proper one locally I would enrol him) and really enjoys it, he's the only boy in it and he doesn't care!
I think it all helps with activity and fitness and also I'm pretty damn sure the coordination would only help with football.

Anyway, sorry to go on, my point is that if a child enjoys something and expresses a real interest in something that's creative (and active, well...even better!) then I think it's great that parents encourage it, whatever the subject or gender

Thanks for that Mari and HD. Elliot too wins the party dance competitons LOL! He doesnt seem at all bothered that boys might laugh and call him a girl which to me shows he's determined. He is booked in to go next Tuesday and if he likes it he can join. I think at one point there was some street dance lessons going on in the area which I might try and find out about. He's a little on the hyperactive side so anything to wear him out! His concentration is quite poor but I'm really hoping he can stick to it. Like I say though he just came out with it out of the blue and seems very keen so we shall see. My daughter has been hilarious about it. She is so positive, she said it takes a real man to go to ballet and wear pink. He's five and will wear shorts and T-shirt

I am laughing at the vision of this good on her!

Was certain that I posted in here last night but obviously not I say good on him HC Especially if he grows to enjoy dancing and performing, in our shows they are always screaming for boys and they are often the ones with the personalities that hold everyone together (although I suppose that would be when he's a wee bit older!)

Hope he really enjoys it

I used to do Ballet as a child, until the age of 17 and we had 2 boys in our class, who both enjoyed it, so I say if he wants to do it and enjoys it then good for him.

I go to ballet classes every Tuesday

If he really want's to do it then fair enough, hope he enjoys it but there could be a bullying factor to it all. I can't speak for the rest but certainly in the school's I went to, kids were horrible and were down on you like a tonne of bricks if you were different to others. I do seem to recall one lad that did ballet who used to live across the road from me. He didn't go to my school but he quit after a few months because he was sick of being called a sugar plum fairy and so he quickly turned his attention to football and cricket.

I have a real problem with forced gender stereotyping. In todays world we know better and should let kids be themselves without worrying that others will poke fun at them (if they do though that can be a lesson in itself.
None of us know what out kids will grow into but the best we can do for them is to not make them feel they have to repress something that feels natural to them.
My boys all have dolls which they all love. They're babies rather than Barbies, and treat them like they were real.....to me this is a good basis for parenthood when they are older. It's not just the mother that has the babies or looks after them.

I hope Elliot has a good time at ballet, he'll not only have fun but also the exercise will be good for him