I am 36 years old, I’m a big burly man (currently sporting a ridiculous beard, much to the chagrin of my wife) and I have been taking my daughter, Orelia, to babyballet since she was 7 months old. We love it. Not just her, me too!

Every week I get the opportunity to dress her up in a very cute tutu and spend 40 minutes with her and a host of other boys and girls and Mums and Dads being rockets and fish, stretching our arms and legs and pointing our good toes.

It’s quality time, pure and simple.

You may wonder what on earth a 7 month old baby can do in a babyballet class, the answer is, not a lot, but then I don’t think it’s ever been the aim to have them twirling and leaping and dancing on their tip toes straight away … the classes are so much more than that.

It’s a social experience for Orelia and for me. It’s a chance to let the movements and music wash into her mind and for her to enjoy observing her ungainly Father trying his best to bounce her on his knee, as a camel, without falling over or skipping round in a circle with her.

Do I look silly? Yes, absolutely. Does Orelia love that? Of course she does, which child wouldn’t want that fun with their Dad?

When we started babyballet classes, Orelia couldn’t walk or even crawl and now she can run and jump and even point her toes on command. She knows different parts of her body and thanks to a very catchy tidy up song she also knows when to pack away her toys. Yes, she would have learnt those skills eventually, but I truly believe that the classes have fast tracked that journey.

I have heard some people say that the classes are only for little girls and their Mums and I feel that this is a very sad way to think. First, quality time spent with your child is important, whether you are the mother, father or guardian, when I think back on my childhood, it was the games and time spent with my parents that keeps in my memory.

Second, the skills that the children learn are universal, just because a child does ballet doesn’t mean that they are going to become a ballerina, but good balance, a strong core and an ability to play nicely with others is enormously important in any field or stage.

I have a daughter, but I would happily still attend even if she were a boy.

I am proud to be a babyballet daddy and I look forward to Orelia’s class every week.

#babyballet #daddydaughtertime #qualitytime #daddybonding