I took my 3-year old daughter to a ballet class (first time for her) 
and the teacher requested all parents to stay outside.  My daughter
was crying thoughout the 30-minute class.  This has happened twice
now.  Now she refuses to go to the class.  What should I do?  Continue
the class or stop it?  Thanks.

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Request for Question Clarification by tlspiegel-ga on 30 May 2005 00:11 PDT

Hi bcccdcjc,

I'm posting some links for Separation Anxiety in pre-schoolers.  If
you feel this answers your question, post a clarification request for
me to post in the answer box.  Good Luck to you!

http://www.scholastic.com/earlylearner/experts/behavior/3_5_btsseparation.htm

http://www.sesameworkshop.org/parents/advice/print.php?contentId=63540&categoryId=

http://www.parents.com/age/3years.jsp

Separation Anxiety
http://www.parents.com/articles/ages_and_stages/3233.jsp


Best regards,
tlspiegel

Good sites.  It all just seems like common when you read it  - but in practice...
as someone closer to being a grandfather, maybe.

Bcccdcjc-ga,
The questions that come to me are:
Pre-schoolers can accept separation at different ages;
Did your daughter have an original interest in ballet school, that is,
did you introduce it to her before hand, awaken an interest?
What experiences has she had with separation, successful ones?
  And with whom?  In what group?   Grandmother or aunt/"aunt", one on
one is no experience towards joining a group with an unknown adult.
Has she a conception of how long the class will last?  (Hardly at that age)
Why does the teacher insist that parents stay out?  (Probably because
she knows that some kids won't leave Mother's knee, which seems to
suggest that the child is not yet mature or experienced enough,  her
choice, to be respected.)

If you want her to like ballet, tears aren't the start, and they may
influence your mother-daughter relationship.  Why the stress?

Don't answer any of that here.  Some of my questions or implications
are certainly wrong.  I think my last question is the significant one.

Myoarin  (a ballerino as a flower at age five)

On something like this, why upset the kid ?  Kids are ready for
different things when they're ready.  If we were talking about the
child not liking getting shots, I'd say too bad.  It's gonna pinch. 
However, personally, I'd find something else to do with her.