I found this difference in Europe - children are brought everywhere - to New Years Eve, dinner parties, nice restaurants etc. They don't really arrange babysitters as it is assumed children are always welcome.
Okay, maybe I'm the one out to lunch and I haven't been to Europe in almost 20 years. When I was there kids were not on my mind at all.
My group of friends is very inclusive of kids, though. We all have them (ranging in age from 1 year to nine years) and they are at all of our parties, New Year's, my Kegger, etc. It wouldn't occur to me to have an event where kids weren't allowed and I think all my friends are in the same boat.
I guess this is one of those things where we'll all have a different frame of reference, but the way you describe Europe is exactly how my life is.
The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Sliver For This Useful Post:
Okay, maybe I'm the one out to lunch and I haven't been to Europe in almost 20 years. When I was there kids were not on my mind at all.
My group of friends is very inclusive of kids, though. We all have them (ranging in age from 1 year to nine years) and they are at all of our parties, New Year's, my Kegger, etc. It wouldn't occur to me to have an event where kids weren't allowed and I think all my friends are in the same boat.
I guess this is one of those things where we'll all have a different frame of reference, but the way you describe Europe is exactly how my life is.
My parents and all of their friends brought us kids around to I'd say 95% of their parties. They were young when they had us so it was still nearly every weekend.
It was great for us kids cause we all got to hang out every weekend too.
Okay, maybe I'm the one out to lunch and I haven't been to Europe in almost 20 years. When I was there kids were not on my mind at all.
My group of friends is very inclusive of kids, though. We all have them (ranging in age from 1 year to nine years) and they are at all of our parties, New Year's, my Kegger, etc. It wouldn't occur to me to have an event where kids weren't allowed and I think all my friends are in the same boat.
I guess this is one of those things where we'll all have a different frame of reference, but the way you describe Europe is exactly how my life is.
Were the kids allowed to use the regular bathroom at the kegger or where they also only allowed to use the Blue Rocket?
Wow, I think you're out to lunch on this. There must be something else at play. Like perhaps when you travel you are doing holiday-type things where you are likely to run into families who are also travelling. People bring their kids on vacation and have a lot of time to just hang out and play with their kids. It's a primary reason why people like getting away.
Do you have kids? If not, that would explain why you aren't running into them at the office, or at university, or when you're out at the pub.
I have kids and my life revolves around them, their friends and randoms from the neighbourhood. If I go to the park by my house, I know the little kids that live around there will show up. I know their names and I've never once met their parents. Same thing when we go to the lake by our house (in Calgary) - we always meet a random kid that hangs out with us.
Kids are everywhere so I have no idea what you are talking about. And Calgary is wicked kid friendly. Just got back from San Diego and it is, too. No matter where I go on this continent there are playgrounds and activities for kids.
As a parent, of course I'm around kids all the time. But before I was a parent, I would go days without seeing a child, and often months without speaking with one.
My experiences of other countries (around 30 outside North America) are from before I had kids. And I saw kids and families everywhere. The people running restaurants usually had their kids there with them, helping or just hanging out. All public places - not just schools and playground - had kids in them. In the evenings, the streets and parks in the centre of cities were packed with families strolling. How often do you see kids on Stephen Avenue Mall at 8 pm?
In North America, we segregate single adult life and family life in a way that other cultures don't.
__________________
Quote:
Originally Posted by fotze
If this day gets you riled up, you obviously aren't numb to the disappointment yet to be a real fan.
A few years ago, actually about 7 now I think about it, I listened to a fella on CBC radio. It was all about this type of thing. He had researched that very question.
What he found (IIRC) was there was no real difference in rates of abduction from then to now (well 7 trs ago). The big difference was the broad dissemination of news/information that now happens. If a child was taken from Nova Scotia people in Alberta usually didn't hear about it.
This is exactly it. We find out the instant a child is abducted anywhere in Canada, thanks to Amber Alerts and social media in general. I think that this is great for obvious reasons, but it does lead to the perception that there are more abductions, missing kids, etc.
My wife said the same thing about the seemingly recent increase of missing seniors in Calgary, thinking that it was happening more than in the past. But then I pointed out that she hears about each one nearly instantly from the CPS via Facebook, Twitter, etc. usually repeatedly, and then retweets and friends sharing the same posts, whereas a few years ago that never would have been possible.
As a parent, of course I'm around kids all the time. But before I was a parent, I would go days without seeing a child, and often months without speaking with one.
My experiences of other countries (around 30 outside North America) are from before I had kids. And I saw kids and families everywhere. The people running restaurants usually had their kids there with them, helping or just hanging out. All public places - not just schools and playground - had kids in them. In the evenings, the streets and parks in the centre of cities were packed with families strolling. How often do you see kids on Stephen Avenue Mall at 8 pm?
In North America, we segregate single adult life and family life in a way that other cultures don't.
I think that there are a few factors. You can argue that our cities are designed differently, and we therefore have different routines. This is going on a bit of a tangent and I don't want to start arguing about urbanism and all of that latte sipping stuff. But we don't see as many kids on Stephen Avenue or even 17th Avenue because those kids don't live near there. Generally speaking, the accepted North American place for kids is in the suburbs. This is changing a little, I think, but we certainly don't see as many families walking around the central areas of cities because they just don't live there. And because of that, you don't see as many kid-friendly places popping up in those places.
I went to the Calgary Tower with my son a few weeks ago, and figured we'd stroll around downtown a bit afterwards. I went into Sport Check to look for some soccer shorts for him, and was told that they don't stock kids stuff because it is the downtown location. Understandable, because the clientele aren't generally kids, but just an example of how we see downtown and kids as not intermingling. I bet that a sports store in central (insert European city here) would have a kids section.
/tangent
The Following User Says Thank You to Jimmy Stang For This Useful Post:
It also seems like instead of viewing strangers as someone who would stop something bad from happening to your child, we view them as potential killers and rapists. It's pretty stupid when you think about it.
99.9% of people would run to the AID of a child they don't know.
This is basically true. Reminds me of this Bill Burr bit:
NSFW - Language
The Following User Says Thank You to cDnStealth For This Useful Post:
I would love to hear the Lego store's side of the story.
Looking at the reviews for the store online (Google reviews, Yelp) they are high ratings across the board with the staff getting rave reviews. The only lower ratings seemed to be that people wanted more loose bricks and fewer sets.
That blog article sure seemed like someone with an ax to grind. I don't think I would put a lot of stock in that experience.
__________________
"The problem with any ideology is that it gives the answer before you look at the evidence."
—Bill Clinton
"The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance--it is the illusion of knowledge."
—Daniel J. Boorstin, historian, former Librarian of Congress
"But the Senator, while insisting he was not intoxicated, could not explain his nudity"
—WKRP in Cincinatti
The question for me is, was the kid just in there for a few minutes to buy some LEGO? Or did the parents drop the kid off in the LEGO store and go shopping for and hour and a half, leaving the store and employees as a baby sitting service?
If it's the former, this is a complete over reaction by the store manager, if it's the latter, than screw those lazy ass parents. It's not a stores job to look after your kids while you shop.
The Following User Says Thank You to RyZ For This Useful Post:
The question for me is, was the kid just in there for a few minutes to buy some LEGO? Or did the parents drop the kid off in the LEGO store and go shopping for and hour and a half, leaving the store and employees as a baby sitting service?
If it's the former, this is a complete over reaction by the store manager, if it's the latter, than screw those lazy ass parents. It's not a stores job to look after your kids while you shop.
The kid wasn't dropped off. He arrived at the store on his own.
Why is it so hard to imagine this scenario:
Family drives to mall. Kid says "I'm going to the Lego store." Dad says "I'm going to Eddie Bauer. Meet you at the food court in half an hour."
I did this stuff all the time when I was 11. I didn't want to tag along with my parents at the mall, so when we got there we split up and met again later. At Southcentre, I hung out at Little Generals.
The kid is 11, not 6. What's he going to do in the store - roll around on the floor wetting his pants and having a tantrum? He could be babysitting in a year. He doesn't need a babysitter.
__________________
Quote:
Originally Posted by fotze
If this day gets you riled up, you obviously aren't numb to the disappointment yet to be a real fan.
Last edited by CliffFletcher; 04-29-2015 at 02:28 PM.
The Following User Says Thank You to CliffFletcher For This Useful Post:
The guy writing this letter seems like a complete loser. With such hyperbolic gems as...
Quote:
It is important to note that my son has been to the Lego Store on his own several dozen times and has made thousands of dollars worth of purchases. He is dedicated to Lego and has a very extensive collection.
Quote:
Our son naturally assumed that he simply wanted to know the age of the Lego Prodigy that he was talking to and provided his age.
I didn't know putting lego together equated you to a "lego prodigy" and I question what kid has spent "thousands of dollars" at any establishment. Guy doesn't help his cause with such ridiculous comments.
The guy writing this letter seems like a complete loser. With such hyperbolic gems as...
I didn't know putting lego together equated you to a "lego prodigy" and I question what kid has spent "thousands of dollars" at any establishment. Guy doesn't help his cause with such ridiculous comments.
The part that I found funny was that he only arrived at the store because "we" decided to meet for lunch. Seriously, what kid decides to have lunch with their parent?
The Following User Says Thank You to Cuz For This Useful Post:
Haven't bought a LEGO set in awhile, eh? That's like two Star Wars sets nowadays.
It was more a comment about the child having thousands of dollars to spend rather then the price of lego sets.
Maybe I should be more shocked at the cost of kids shovelling driveways and babysitting? Not that I'd feel entirely comfortable leaving a child with someone who has been babysitting from 9-11?
The kid is 11, not 6. What's he going to do in the store - roll around on the floor wetting his pants and having a tantrum? He could be babysitting in a year. He doesn't need a babysitter.
Going back to when my friends and I were 12, shoplifting is a possibility. And even when a kid doesn't have that in mind at all, if he was there long enough that staff noticed, that might have also been in the back of their heads.
Going back to when my friends and I were 12, shoplifting is a possibility. And even when a kid doesn't have that in mind at all, if he was there long enough that staff noticed, that might have also been in the back of their heads.
This and the "we're not a babysitting service" are both valid reasons for what they did.
Neither the owner or the security guard expressed these reasons. Their reason was: It's self explanatory, and if you don't know you're a bad parent.
That's like the girlfriend giving the old, "if you don't know what you did, then I can't help you."
That stuff is rage inducing. In my mid-90's early 00's youth, we rode bikes everywhere and the playground was our babysitter. Parent's didn't care where we went or what we did as long as were back for dinner and all brothers were accounted for. What if he had a few friends, would the same thing have happened?
Either way it's ridiculous. Although I agree that having a kid under 12 babysit is a little young, but I certainly know 11 year olds I would trust with young kids moreso than some 15-18 year olds I know. I would suspect much of their babysitting is for a sibling, which I have no problem with if the parents trust their kid.
