Why We Quit

It’s been a hell of a winter here in the Midwest. We all know that. We know that there has been record numbers of days below zero, record numbers of snow fall and even record numbers of days school was closed.

We have had it with winter, is what I’m saying.

But school wasn’t the only thing cancelled a lot this winter.

Because of the crappy weather, the girls went to gymnastics only twice in January, once in February and twice in March. Some of these cancellations were because the gym was closed due to weather but most of them were us just deciding that the roads were crappy and we didn’t want to drive the eighteen miles to and from the gym in the dark, below-zero weather.

I paid for each month in full, of course.

I’d realized back in October that Alyssa didn’t seem to be getting as much out of this year as she had in years past. I don’t know if it was the coach, the new management , or, yes, even just because Alyssa wasn’t as into it herself.

Olivia was enjoying her class very much, though she often turned it into a one-woman yoga class more than a kinder gym with actual classmates.

We missed class two weeks ago due to O’s kindergarten program, which was definitely worth the missing of class.

Last week the girls were on spring break (we had temps in the twenties and low thirties all week, thanks Mother Nature) and I called my mom on Thursday as I was leaving town to tell her to have the girls change so they’d be ready to jump in the car when I got there.

She told me Alyssa had said her stomach hurt and wasn’t going to go, so there was no rush to get Olivia ready since O’s class didn’t start until an hour later.

So…Alyssa wasn’t going to class. Again.

I decided then and there we are done. I’m not paying for these classes anymore when we make not even half of the classes each month. The girls are plenty active at home and O’s social skills are improving at school. Maybe next fall we’ll find a ballet class for Olivia. Maybe not. We’ll see.

But for now, we’re going to enjoy our Thursdays and the little extra cash that will no doubt be nowhere to be found even though we won’t be spending it at the gym.

When I got to my mom’s and told Alyssa what I’d decided, she gave a look of relief. She agreed that it felt like a wasted year and was glad to call it quits. Olivia…well, we didn’t actually discuss it with her but she’s kind of a go with the flow kind of gal. She’ll be fine.