Experiment

Aim of the experiment: To find a de-stresser, beat the winter blues.

Apparatus: One primary school, whole lot of parents, their kids and a few dance moves.

Procedure:
Step 1: Find out at the 11th hour that your child has a folk dance show at school that evening.
Step 2: Forget cooking (helps when you have an older child who is amenable to making pizza), get child ready, go to school.
Step 3: Drop child off and sit with other parents as (supposedly) audience.
Step 4: Watch group of kids dance and cheer them on, thinking: this is real cute.
Step 5: Discover at the end of that dance that parents of those children are expected to join their kids for the next round of dancing and do the same dance moves (what? I didn’t even look properly).
Step 6: Wait for you turn with some trepidation (yup, this is exactly what I wanted – to make a fool of myself in front of 200 other people).
Step 7: Loving the way your child and her class dance.
Step 8: Psyching yourself up and stepping onto the dance floor, as you know your child will be utterly disappointed if you don’t.
Step 9: Dancing, absolutely loving every minute of it.
Step 10: Feeling great after the dance is over, in spite of the wheezing breath.

Observation: Most parents wore smiles on their faces throughout the evening. So did the teachers and the kids. Personally, you’re left feeling really relaxed and happy.

Inference: It really works! Dancing an impromptu jig with your child, in front of an audience, is a great way to feel good;-) Just try it.