To all you olympia baby haters!

When I was 3, I demanded that my mum wake me up to watch Puissance at 10pm. I remember being taken out of bed but couldn't keep my eyes open for the performance!

So yes, I think kids really can get a lot out of it as an event. However, as with any spectator of any age, manners are required. Adults generally know how to behave (generally!) but kids of a very young age don't. Therefore, their adult should take responsibility and remove them from the area if they are disruptive. If they are not prepared to do that, they shouldn't bring their child - as others have said, crying/whinging etc is a distress call, and you should be tending to your child's distress instead of putting your wish to watch the event first.

I once lost my rag in the cinema on a packed to the rafters saturday night viewing. I could hear teenagers at the back, talking loudly throughout. After 20 minutes, I shouted 'why don't you just SHUT UP or GO HOME'. I got a round of applause, the talking stopped, and when the lights went up at the end I saw that they were disabled kids. I felt awful, I really did - but equally, I'd paid good money (3 hours wages!) to see that film, and I don't think it was fair to those kids or the paying audience to put them in the same showing together when there is an option not to do so. Just my two cents and it does not apply at Olympia, which is live.
 
Just to divert slightly, when my son got married, his fiancee asked that no one brought young kids to the Church. However one friend of hers brought a very young child who cried loudly when they took their vows. Even though the brides mum looked daggers at her she did not take the child out. She ruined the most important part of the ceremony.

How selfish can you get. The ceremony was being recorded and the crying drowned out the vows. A once in a lifetime event ruined
 
SadKen said:
When I was 3, I demanded that my mum wake me up to watch Puissance at 10pm. I remember being taken out of bed but couldn't keep my eyes open for the performance!

So yes, I think kids really can get a lot out of it as an event. However, as with any spectator of any age, manners are required. Adults generally know how to behave (generally!) but kids of a very young age don't. Therefore, their adult should take responsibility and remove them from the area if they are disruptive. If they are not prepared to do that, they shouldn't bring their child - as others have said, crying/whinging etc is a distress call, and you should be tending to your child's distress instead of putting your wish to watch the event first.

I once lost my rag in the cinema on a packed to the rafters saturday night viewing. I could hear teenagers at the back, talking loudly throughout. After 20 minutes, I shouted 'why don't you just SHUT UP or GO HOME'. I got a round of applause, the talking stopped, and when the lights went up at the end I saw that they were disabled kids. I felt awful, I really did - but equally, I'd paid good money (3 hours wages!) to see that film, and I don't think it was fair to those kids or the paying audience to put them in the same showing together when there is an option not to do so. Just my two cents and it does not apply at Olympia, which is live.
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Why would anyone pay that much to go to the cinema? Unless Loki was in it. Was Loki in the film? Fun character. Good actor too. Really made the part his own. They should have him at the next Olympia. And every public event really...should be a law.
 
Arizahn said:
Why would anyone pay that much to go to the cinema? Unless Loki was in it. Was Loki in the film? Fun character. Good actor too. Really made the part his own. They should have him at the next Olympia. And every public event really...should be a law.
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back off! Loki is mine :D agreed, Loki everywhere should be law, we should totally let him take over the universe.
 
Arizahn said:
Why would anyone pay that much to go to the cinema? Unless Loki was in it. Was Loki in the film? Fun character. Good actor too. Really made the part his own. They should have him at the next Olympia. And every public event really...should be a law.
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To clarify, this was a long time ago, I was a teenager and therefore my wage was considerably lower ;)

Unfortunately Loki was not in the film. I completely concur with your view, and you may wish to know that the delicious Hiddleston is appearing on stage in the title role of Coriolanus, which will be broadcast live to a number of cinemas in February. The reviews say that there is a scene where he has a shower. It's worth three hours wages of anyone's money to see that, I think.

shut-up-and-take-my-money.jpg
 
I'm quite lucky my LO loves going out and is always so well behaved as long she got something to grab her attention or toys and colouring she is an absolute angel and been very lucky with her. Our local pub love having her, they comment what a lovely behaved girl she is and the staff adore her and interact with her.

OP glad your LO enjoyed herself and was well behaved
 
SadKen said:
To clarify, this was a long time ago, I was a teenager and therefore my wage was considerably lower ;)

Unfortunately Loki was not in the film. I completely concur with your view, and you may wish to know that the delicious Hiddleston is appearing on stage in the title role of Coriolanus, which will be broadcast live to a number of cinemas in February. The reviews say that there is a scene where he has a shower. It's worth three hours wages of anyone's money to see that, I think.

shut-up-and-take-my-money.jpg
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Not Shakespeare. I will not budge on this. Even for Hiddleston. I hate Shakespeare.
 
This is a tricky one.

Personally, I'm not keen on kids - after my mum running a nursery for a long time, and then working at a RS teaching 5-10 years olds, I have been put off kids for life. I treat them as small adults with poor vocabulary, and for some reason kids seem to love me, but the more they like me the pricklier I get... and no, I don't like giving cuddles or holding sticky hands, so you'll have to suck it up, child. Personally I never want kids myself - they're like more expensive, noisier, longer living and less cute dogs that you can't just leave in kennels when you want to go on holiday, so I'll have horses and dogs, thanks ;) but I can admit I am very selfish and the drain on my time and resources isn't worth it for me.

HOWEVER, when it comes to hearing screaming babies or tantruming children, I feel for the parent - it's not easy when everyone around you is giving you evils, and you are trying to subdue your kid without making a scene. Particularly feel for parents on planes - I used to get really sore ears as a kid when flying, and I don't think people realise that being trapped in a seat for hours on end with sore ears is TORTURE to a kid. So I would never comment on a noisy child, because I know from experience that they aren't easy to handle.

However, I think parents do need to think of the kids when they choose to go to something ticketed like Olympia. There are great bits for the kids, but sitting watching dressage or jumping is not that enthralling for a child, and if they do start getting fidgety or crying or any kind of antisocial behaviour you have to be prepared that, as a parent, you have to sacrifice your enjoyment of the show to deal with it. To be honest, it doesn't happen THAT often to me, the crying kids not getting taken out, so I would say most parents do try.

Any kid that comes up to me in a restaurant, or being irritating, gets the same as an adult would - 'do you realise how selfish you are being/how unacceptable your behaviour is?'
 
Philistine. Did you not read the bit about the shower?!!

Anyway, that's enough off-topic p**ving at Tom Hiddleston from me. I'm off to make a thread in AAD using the photo I found of him cuddling a GSD puppy.

On topic - quiet babies: good, but please don't try to make me hold one. Noisy babies: bad. This concludes my view!
 
SadKen said:
Philistine. Did you not read the bit about the shower?!!

Anyway, that's enough off-topic p**ving at Tom Hiddleston from me. I'm off to make a thread in AAD using the photo I found of him cuddling a GSD puppy.

On topic - quiet babies: good, but please don't try to make me hold one. Noisy babies: bad. This concludes my view!
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...... wanders in, reads post.... wanders back out to visit AAD..... :)
 
I was impressed and surprised at how many children and babies I saw there! Each to their own but I couldn't have really relaxed if I'd have brought my baby. Far too busy and not enough space. Still I'm not that bothered by others peoples children crying I'm just pleased it isn't mine! Pleased you had a good time OP
 
Crugeran Celt said:
In my experience it is quite easy to have a happy child who will enjoy most situations if a enough time and attention is spent on them!! Happy well behaved toddlers say more about the parents than anything else!!
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Good grief I feel sorry for the parents of babies that cry. Not many parents of a crying 15 month old are bad parents!!!! Not just this post but loads saying the same thing.

Babies just cry, it's what babies DO at times.
 
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cptrayes said:
Can all you parents who take your children everywhere tell me what the children have to look forward to growing up for?
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my LO loves being out and about being walking the dog, going to family, toddler group, sleep overs, the yard for 19 months she pretty laid back and she loves it. so what has that got to do with her growing up?
 
Having watched a bit of it on the computer now, all I see is an audience that seems riveted. And a lot of family friendly bits - Shetlands racing, Santa, etc. Haven't heard any screaming children so far.

But it's a long day isn't it? Even the keenest spectator is probably going to talk to their companions at some point - because public events are social events. I wouldn't want to go in person as I don't like crowds that much, but it seems popular with a wide range of people. Which is good: we can't afford empty seats in this economy! And that is probably our next generation of equestrians, so let's give them a chance to enjoy the sport :)
 
MadBlackLab said:
my LO loves being out and about being walking the dog, going to family, toddler group, sleep overs, the yard for 19 months she pretty laid back and she loves it. so what has that got to do with her growing up?
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Nothing.

I'm talking about the people who say they take their four year olds everywhere, restaurants, Olympia etc,

It just seems to me that some kids these days have nothing much to look forward to growing up for.
 
fburton said:
At least, the noisy ones. When I was a child, I was told that children should be seen and not heard, "silence is golden", etc. so that is what I did. And if I had to cry, I did so silently.
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"If you're going to cry I'll give you something to cry about"

1960's child rearing :)
 
cptrayes said:
Nothing.

I'm talking about the people who say they take their four year olds everywhere, restaurants, Olympia etc,

It just seems to me that some kids these days have nothing much to look forward to growing up for.
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I have a horrible feeling that the only children who really look forwards to growing up, are the ones that don't enjoy their childhood. After all, the older you get, the less freedom you really have. You certainly cannot be yourself - you are expected to bury your feelings, get drunk and go clubbing when you can't afford it just because that is normal, and one day you suddenly find yourself responsible for burying your parents.

Let them enjoy being young, it doesn't last.
 
cptrayes said:
Nothing.

I'm talking about the people who say they take their four year olds everywhere, restaurants, Olympia etc,

It just seems to me that some kids these days have nothing much to look forward to growing up for.
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I like seeing kids everywhere (if well behaved!) seems the Europeans actively encourage kids in restaurants, you can certainly tell the kids who were not well socialised as kids as they are often manic when let out.

They can look forward to going out without their parents!
 
cptrayes said:
Can all you parents who take your children everywhere tell me what the children have to look forward to growing up for?
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I'm not sure that young children have that sort of concept. I'm not a big massive fan of children but a bit like how you socialise a dog :p how else do you equip them with social skills, get them used to travelling, events, big crowds etc, if you don't actually take them there when they are young?
 
cptrayes said:
"If you're going to cry I'll give you something to cry about"

1960's child rearing :)
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To my parents' everlasting credit, I never got that, or any other kind of violence - yet they were somehow able to instill reasonably good manners, and an awareness of what that meant. It was a happy time, on the whole.
 
Sorry but I'm not entirely comfortable with the 'noisy children/bad parenting' thing that some have alluded to here.
I had four children. Each one gave me an entirely different experience of parenting. One was what could be described as a very 'easy' baby, not much crying, quiet most of the time, etc. Another (who I've already mentioned) was similar until she got to two years old and then went through a phase of temper tantrums and similar. Yet another was very, very demanding from day 1 and the remaining child was quiet and well-behaved for most of the time but had some 'extreme' moments!
They were, and are, individuals.
I did what I considered to be the 'right thing' and that included taking them out of certain events if I felt that the disruption would spoil it for others. I also took them to 'family' events designed for young children and a few of them got bored, restless and upset. I don't consider that this was down to 'bad parenting'. I considered it normal behaviour for young children and I dealt with it according to the circumstances.

When I was seven my parents took me to see the film Dr Zhivago because they couldn't get a baby sitter. I was absolutely bored out of my mind but I clearly remember being threatened with a smack if I dared to make a noise. To other people I was quiet and well behaved. But I was definitely not enjoying myself.

At the risk of repeating myself, quiet babies and toddlers at public events are not a problem. Noisy ones are. The only link with parenting is how the parent chooses to deal with things. It is certainly not the case that all the quiet babies have wonderful parents and all the noisy babies have bad parents who don't spend enough time with them or give them enough attention.
 
justabob said:
I don't like human children one bit actually.
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Think you've mentioned that, maybe once or twice before :)

So how about we lock children in a cupboard and then let them out at say 21? Then they can look forward to their life and no one will ever have to hear a child moan or cry in public ever again ;)
 
Nancykitt said:
At the risk of repeating myself, quiet babies and toddlers at public events are not a problem. Noisy ones are. The only link with parenting is how the parent chooses to deal with things. It is certainly not the case that all the quiet babies have wonderful parents and all the noisy babies have bad parents who don't spend enough time with them or give them enough attention.
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I think this is the crux of it :)
 
shannonandtay said:
Think you've mentioned that, maybe once or twice before :)

So how about we lock children in a cupboard and then let them out at say 21? Then they can look forward to their life and no one will ever have to hear a child moan or cry in public ever again ;)
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Yes! such a good idea, well done.
 
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