Gymboree Class 3

Took Claire to Gymboree class #3 of 5 yesterday. Just as expected, she played and danced, bounced and climbed her little heart out. Ok, I would say realistically it was 75% dancing this time, mostly by herself in the middle of the room on the bright green rug. She sure loves the music they play. She wasn't quite as adventurous during this class, refusing to attempt to climb any ramps and not too keen on sharing the trampoline. She did enjoy the "3 frogs on a log" bouncing game more so during this class than any prior. During the parachute activity, which is one of her favorites from what I can tell, she decided to claw a chunk of flesh out from under my eye and make it bleed. Boy, didn't that shock some of the other kids during what they thought was a typical rendition of Down By The River. That definitely wasn't the highlight of my morning...but we talked about her being gentle and being a "niiiiigh gurl" (nice girl) then continued with the activities. I also noticed that my girl may have inherited her mama's clumsy gene as she ran into multiple kids during the class. Perhaps, at 18 months, it's only because their spacial awareness is not quite on point? Yeah, let's go with that.

I don't have many photos of her time at Gymboree because I try really hard not to be that mom. You know, the one that lives more of her life in a digital world than the actual world. The mom with the kid so sick of having camera phones in their faces that they refuse to ever smile for an actual camera. Yeah, that mom. There is nothing wrong with memories, but I think there's a time and a place. I figure Gymboree's sole purpose is for parents to interact with their children in a child-centered environment. I love engaging with Claire while growing her confidence as she masters new skills. I have seen her blossom so much already and hope that my effort in teaching her through play has a little to do with it. Plus, I can tell she enjoys the undivided attention from her mama and that makes me happy!

Thinking there are only two classes left really makes me sad. Trying to find a way to work these classes into the budget is going to be a challenge but I'm going to try. I was skeptical at first but I do think she is learning valuable skills that make it worth the money. What better to invest in than stimulating your child's mind, right? Right. Continuation of classes is TBD.