Looking for some insight from you mamas.

My November daughter is not yet in school…I’m lucky enough to be home with her and my youngest who is 15 months old. She has always been slow to warm up and weary of new people, so I prep her A LOT for new situations.

This past weekend, I started her in a dance class. In full transparency, I don’t really care whether she learns to dance…I just wanted her to socialize consistently with other kids her age, and for her to learn to follow the structure of a class. Prior to to this past weekend, we had visited the studio, we met her teachers, and I spoke to her daily about what would happen….I’m going to take you to the classroom, mommy is going to say “see you later”, you’re going to play with the other kids, mommy will be waiting right outside…etc.

It went horribly. When we got there, she was already showing signs that things weren’t going to go great, so I reassured her, ran through how things were going to go (for the hundredth time…my husband joked even the dog could recite the routine 😅). When she went inside she started screaming and crying for me 😣 one of the assistants picked her up, and she wouldn’t let her put her down. She stopped screaming (on and off) like 35 minutes into the class, but she wouldn’t let them put her down….even when she appeared to be interested in the activities, she still did not want to be put down to participate.

When she came out (lollipop and stickers in hand), I asked her if she enjoyed herself and she said “yeah, so much fun” 🤦🏻‍♀️ I asked her if she wanted to return next week and she says that she does.

Now I’m overthinking everything. Do I just scratch the idea of the class and wait it out until next year? Is this ultimately good for her and something that I need to ride out? How long will this last?

Need some advice because I’m confused and not sure I could handle seeing her that way every week.