10 Things You'll Only Understand If You're a Dance Mom

Your family's life, especially family vacations and doctor's appointments, are scheduled with careful consideration of when dance recitals, dance competitions, and picture days are held, because you don't want your child to miss a single one. You always make sure your child never misses dance class or practice, of course.

No need to look at a checklist! You've done this so many times, you've got that sucker memorized. From the hair essentials, like a comb and bobby pins, to the emergency items, like a Tide-to-Go Stain Remover Pen and Dramamine, you've got everything covered to make sure your child shines in the spotlight!

Whether you prefer hair spray, gel, or good old mousse, no amount is too small when it comes to dance. As your child gracefully twirls and leaps through the air, you can rest assured that their hair will stay in perfect place.

"Live, Love, Dance." "It's a Dance Thing." "Keep Calm and Dance On." Basically, if a shirt has the word "Dance" on it, you just have to buy it for your little dancer, who you know will wear it proudly.

To the naked eye, backstage looks like a blur of tutus, leotards, sequins, and glitter. There are dancers running around, quickly changing into their costumes and making sure their hair and makeup look flawless. Although it might appear chaotic, the dancers, instructors, and dance moms are actually extremely organized backstage and know exactly what they are doing.

You know how quickly your little dancer's feet are growing, so when it is time to purchase new dance shoes for them, you make sure to also purchase the next size up. That way, your child will be ready to dance their little heart out without delay when they hit a growth spurt.

What used to take you a long time to get perfect now takes you mere minutes. You now laugh about the days when you used to follow a hair bun YouTube tutorial along as you did your daughter's hair. You could totally make your own tutorial video now!

Out of all of the dance items your child goes through the most, tights are number one on the list. Through no fault of their own, tights just don't seem to hold up very long for dancers. Although holes in pants are fashionable right now, it has the opposite effect with tights. That's why you make sure your child always has extra tights.

In order for your child to practice their dance routines at home, they need quite a bit of space. You find yourself constantly moving the couch and coffee table to provide your dancer with enough room to practice their dances (while not accidentally knocking over your antique vase).

Your family is at the dance studio so much that it feels like you live there sometimes. But what makes the dance studio really feel like home is the amazing people. From the director to the instructors to the other dancers, everyone there has watched your child grow and blossom. They are all so welcoming and supportive and it is amazing that they all share in your child's same wonderful passion — to dance.