Why does everything have to cost so much money??
Yesterday, the triplets and I got to go try out a new place in Airdrie, called "The Little Gym". It's a really neat place, that has gymnastic type classes for little kids, and gymnastic, dance, and cheer leading for older kids. They are just opening up, so they were having some free trial classes, to help train their staff. My friend Lori is friends with one of the ladies who runs it, so that is how we got to go for the free class!
Anyways, the kids LOVED it!! They all had so much fun, and Kadance especially, showed some real potential for gymnastics! So after it was over, I got a pamphlet, to see about signing the kids up for a class in the fall. It would be SOOO nice to be able to have them in a class, and this is one that I could have all three in the same class, and it wouldn't be a problem (most classes require a 1:1 parent-child ratio, which is impossible for me!).
Jade has also been talking about wanting to go in dance or gymnastics, so I started looking into dance studios, and was shocked at how much it costs!! To put Jade in one 45 min class a week, from September to June, it would end up costing almost $1000! We simply can't afford that!
So after looking at the pamphlet for "The Little Gym", I realized that we can't afford it either. It is over $200 for an 11 week session, of one 45 min class a week. That is for ONE child. So for us, it would cost $600 - $800, depending on whether we put all 4 kids in. Gairod really put it into perspective when he broke it down to $20 per kid, per class. So the one class we did yesterday, would have cost us $60. That is ridiculous!!
I guess this is one of the downfalls of having so many children. We simply can't afford to do all the activities and classes that lots of people with 1-2 kids can do. Sometimes that upsets me. I want my kids to have the same opportunities as their peers do. But when I really think about it, what is the real point of dance or gymnastics anyways? You spend thousands of dollars for your kid to take classes for so many years, and then as soon as they are out of high school, they are done. I realize that it is more about teaching them discipline, and athletic skills, and giving them something to "do" to keep them busy (and out of trouble), but I think if we parent our kids right, we can do all that on our own, without fancy (expensive) classes.
1 comment:
Hi Jen!
I have the same feelings sometimes about my large(r) family. Its so hard to make those choices, isn't it? I can't imagine having 3 the same age because that would make it worse, financially, I imagine.
Have you looked at park and recreation programs and YMCA type programs? At least here, those are much cheaper. Also sometimes for less formal lessons in music or swimming, you can find a private teacher or a high school student who will barter or work for much less. They may have lower qualifications, but to teach a young child? You never know! Sometimes other small businesses will work with you as well. That works well for introduction-type lessons that kids are likely to drop after a few months anyways. Most gyms (and I've worked at 4-5 I think total) have sibling programs and many will hire parents to supervise the desk a few hours/week to further reduce the bill. Some also offer fundraising options at lower levels, if gymnastics is something you are really interested in. Although the lesson cost is higher in gymnastics, the equipment/uniform cost is very low.
Our rule is one activity at a time and it has to be reasonable, both in cost and time commitment. For example, we are not doing hockey because although the first year is free the following years are out of control expensive and we know the kids wouldn't be able to keep up with it. Using hockey as an example, we also don't want to do the level of traveling that comes at a very young age. That makes hockey too expensive in time and money.
Ultimately, I don't think our kids are missing out on much though. The overload factor on young kids is so out of control! We are blessed to teach cooperation and teamwork inside the family unit. We don't have to pay to expose our children to other kids just to learn to take turns and share! Although that leaves us as the referee that doesn't make the lessons any less valuable.
Post a Comment