My wife wanted to sign up our son for Gymboree Play & Music classes because, as she put it, “Why is one of my mommy friend’s children walking at the same age as our son?”

Oh, God, here we go.

The NYC parent competition thing that I’ve heard so much about. I said to her, “I have two words for you: ‘Who cares!’ He will walk when he is ready.”

Nonetheless, there I was at Gymboree – my first introduction to parenting hell. I was taken aback, however, by how cute the woman was at the front desk. This might not be so bad after all.

Then she showed me where I could park my stroller. Yes. Park. Really? People say “park your stroller”?

Then I had to take off my shoes so I didn’t track in any contaminants. What is this: a high-safety ward at NYU Langone Medical Center? Oh well, at least I wore socks without holes.

I carried my son over the childproof fence and stepped into what looked like a padded psych ward designed by Dr. Seuss. But my son was all smiles, cooing and pupils as wide as a snowboarder arriving at the mountain to find two feet of fresh powder. Pure heavenly bliss.

Another attractive woman came over, gently singing for all of us baby-toting adults to gather in a circle. Her singing confused me. At first, I thought she was just goofing around, but then I realized that singing is all she does. Did I miss something? The wife didn’t mention I was going to an off-Broadway musical.

Then things changed. I saw the climbing obstacles. These are great. Who wouldn’t enjoy crawling under and over something soft and padded? Now I know why obstacle course races have become so popular with adults.

Each obstacle works out the baby’s balance and encourages walking. Then comes the picking up of foam shapes to “mingle” with the other babies. Most of the time, all kids do is put the foam shapes in their mouths and babble at each other, which is pretty funny. Even witnessed some hair-pulling, but it’s all good clean fun. For the most part, though, this is not the place you want to be if you’re hungover after watching a Seahawks nail-biting win.

One of my son’s favorite Gymboree obstacles was the long inflatable log that all the babies sat on top of with the parents holding the kid by the waist to work out their child’s balance and hips. Everyone stood behind their baby but I didn’t pay attention and sat in front of mine. He loved it, laughing hysterically with every bounce. I could feel that my smile was so big.

For that brief moment, I didn’t think about being the only dude in class. I didn’t care that my life had come to this. I was having fun watching my son have fun. I am a papa, a father, a dad.

I must have been beaming with joy because I felt someone staring at me. When I looked up two of the moms were looking at me. I couldn’t figure out why they were looking at me. “Yeah, baby. These chicks are checking me out. I still got game,” I thought.

After a Gymbo the Clown appearance, the songs wound down and the mothers gossiped one last time. I went over to put my son back in his stroller and put on my shoes. That’s when I noticed.

The zip fly in my jeans was wide open.

Those Gymboree moms were not checking me out after all. I was the idiot who almost let the horse out of the barn.

I was approached this week by a local branch of Gymboree (a national leader in classes for kids) about the possibility of offering an exclusive weekly class for fathers.  This is significant! A major children’s venue feels strongly that there is a need for a dads only class and they are seeking the advice of dads to see what works best for us rather than just slap something together.  Gymboree has been very supportive of our dads community and I would like to help them out with their proposal.

Our opinion counts!  So let’s use the comments section to throw in your two cents about logistics and what you think would be ideal to make the class work.  You see if Gymboree can make this happen…Then, perhaps other major children’s venues will follow suit and dads will feel a little more included…and the term “mommy & me” will become a thing of the past.

Here is the scenario: the Tribeca Gymboree location is currently trying to put together a class just for fathers.  This winter session class could be offered on Tuesdays, Thursdays, or Fridays at either 5:30 or 6:30 to accommodate the often forgotten “working dad” or it could be offered on a Saturday or Sunday morning.

For example, you could make a point that Friday evening is tough because dads and their family are getting ready for the weekend OR you could argue that dad could get out of work a little earlier on Friday so they can participate in this parent & me class.  One other point to make is that Gymboree would also allow drop-ins (at a slightly higher cost per class) for this class for those fathers that would not be able to commit to a 17 week session.

1. Do you have any feedback for which day and time would work best?
2. Is this something fathers would be interested in?

Disclosure: Gymboree is a sponsor/advertiser with NYC Dads Group

I enjoy taking parent & me classes with my son because it keeps us active as well as provides structure to our day. Our regular weekly classes are on summer break so it has given us a chance to check out some new and innovative activities.

Last week, we set out early in the morning & rocked at Moey’s Music Party in Big Daddy’s Diner on the UES. Moey is an engaging musician who performs songs with the kids, dances, jokes around, and makes for a fun experience. When the music party is over, you can stick around and eat some waffles or pancakes at the diner. The negative: this class takes place in a restaurant…so my son was crawling around on a dirty floor. Check out Moey’s Music Party & sign up for a FREE trial Class.

Later that afternoon, we also participated in a magical musical experience at a new kids hotspot on the Upper East Side: Three Little Birds Music. They are offering FREE trial classes, and would highly recommend parents to give it a shot. In this rapidly paced class, my son was shaking maracas, strumming the strings of a Cello, assisted with pushing the buttons on an Oboe, crawled under the Xylophone, and danced to the live piano. Both of us enjoyed the sensory overload & educational experience. This location also has an indoor playspace!

Outdoor yoga anyone? We hit the yoga mats last Monday morning & joined Elahi Yoga in St. Catherine’s Park (1st Ave. btwn 67th & 68th) for a FREE children’s yoga class and some story time.

Finally, on Thursday morning, we ventured over to Carl Schurz Park to participate in a FREE outdoor class with Gymboree Play & Music. They had the balls, bubbles, and parachutes for some instructional gym-time fun outdoors in this cool playground location. There are a few more weeks left so don’t miss out.

What is up next for this active dad? Some well-deserved rest…

Please feel free to share some upcoming fun outdoor activities for parents & kids.