Richard

I'm sure this will stir up the typical responses, but I went to a Baltimore Orioles game last weekend and spent the entire 3 hours being bumped and kicked by the 3-year-old boy behind me. Oh, and I really enjoyed when he was standing directly behind my head and a helicopter passed overhead, which made him scream like he was being stabbed. I still have ringing in my ear from that.

Why oh why do people take little kids to events like that? There was a 6 or 7-year-old boy in front of me, and he sat there the entire game, cheering for his team, without getting up every five seconds and crying that he wants to leave.

I didn't say anything to his parents because they had other children with them, and I didn't want to spoil their day.

Kristi

I have a three year old and an 18 month old, and I wouldn't think twice about taking them to a baseball game. Only difference is, I would make sure to buy tickets to a sparsely attended game and buy them in a section that won't be too crowded. We've bought tickets close to the field and in the nosebleeds, and the nosebleeds are far better with small children, in my opinion. The seats aren't as crowded together and there are less people around you. That said, there have been occasions where my children have started behaving badly, and that is usually my signal that they've had enough and it's time to go home. I don't take my children to adult events to inflict their bad behavior on strangers; I take them there so they can learn how to behave properly in public. I wish more parents would take a cue from their children and take them home when the child has had enough, rather than trying to get their money's worth by staying and ruining everyone else's time. It's not fair to the kids or to anyone else.

richard2

There is nothing wrong with taking a 3 year old to a baseball game.

It was wrong of the parents not to take some action. They should have calmed the kid down or left the game early.( and I say this as a parent that has taken my kids to several games).

My guess is that you don't have kids.
As a parent, I would have politely asked that I not be kicked.

marie

interesting that just a few posts apart were complaints about children taken to bourbon street -- then children taken to a baseball game. hmmmmm...........

xxx

Most baseball stadiums have a family section. This is an appropriate place for parents with young children to sit. I've been finding the same problem with going to broadway plays. Nothing's more disappointing than to pay $75 a ticket and then find a 2 year old singing loudly in your ear. Unfortunately not even the ushers seem to be able to control this problem.

Pat

Hey Richard, welcome to the "me/we/my/us first" generation.
Haven't you noticed that civility and courteousness are deteriorating in almost every aspect of life in this country?
From *driving behaviors* to 'my children and what I want for them are the only things that count' to cell phone users in libraries and theaters....the list goes on and on.
Seems most people just don't give a rat's as* any more about consideration for others.
Pretty sad.
What will things be like in 25 years?

dan woodlief

I have a two-year old.

A baseball game - yes
A broadway play - no (then again, since children are in fact not all the same, some three-year olds may be calm enough for this too)

One is a family event, and the other is not. It is just a matter of good parenting. If my child was doing those things, I would get up and go walk around the concession area for a while to let her calm down.

Samantha

I'd take the 3 year old over the 50-something drunken idiot of a man that leaned over his seat and spilled his entire beer down my back at a game! Richard, you have to go with the flow. You go to a public place, you have to expect what you encountered. Granted, a 3 year old doesn't have the attention span or maturity level to sit through a baseball game like a 6 or 7 year old does, but that's the breaks.

Cindy

Amen, Samantha. Annoying adults (drunks, foulmouths and loudmouths) outnumber rambunctious kids 20-1, in my experience.

And no, I wouldn't take my young kids to a ballgame because they'd be bored senseless.

steve

Anybody notice what happens when a foul ball is hit near your seat? Most people jump up and push eachother to get the best chance to get to the ball. Let alone the possibility of being hit by the ball. Ever think about what type of injury a two or three year old might incur by being in there?

waaaaaa

Sure take them everywhere! I've recently had two flights, the majority of our last vacation, romantic dinners and movies ruined by badly behaved children and their parents. And I'm sure the same will happen on our upcoming trip that we are taking for our anniversary. So why not have them ruin a ball game too!

funruinedtoo

I can relate to how frustrating it is to have romantic moments ruined by loudness at restaurants. Any of our events were ruined or impacted by adults who are loud and obnoxious or drunk and loud or self-centered and loud. It doesn't have to be a child to ruin an evening. I actually told a couple that was being seated near us at one restaurant to ask to be moved so that their dinner wasn't wrecked by a loud foursome nearby. They thanked us and moved elsewhere.

Kate

A baseball game is simply to long and boring for a three year old. I believe in teaching kids to socialize, but think you have to start small and with things that may hold their attention. I think there's a middle ground. For a romantic evening we try to eat as late as possible and in as an expensive place as possible in the hopes that people will have their kids home in bed and won't want to spend money on a $20 entre for a three year old. It works most of the time.

Richard

I didn't ask the parents because I just got the sense that they were the type of people to take offense, and make things even more miserable. I also had guests along from overseas, and I truly did not want to make a scene and make them uncomfortable.

No, I don't have kids, but I don't have a problem with parents taking their kids to restaurants, ball games, movies (age appropriate, of course!) etc., IF the kids can behave. I don't think it's reasonable of a parent to take a 3-year-old somewhere to sit for 2-3 hours. When I was young, my parents often left my brother with a sitter and took out their other three children to concerts and restaurants because my brother had a habit of badly misbehaving in public. After he had been left out enough times, he finally learned how to calm down.

My wife is European, and a big sports fan. She couldn't believe it when I took her to her first American sporting event. In Europe, if you've paid to watch a game, that's what you do--watch the event. You don't get up every 5 minutes to buy food or go to the bathroom. And you arrive on time so that you take your seat before the event starts. So if a kid is able to paid attention for the length of the event, no matter what age, then the kid is welcome. If not, then the kid shouldn't come.

And I don't think I should have to "go with the flow" as an earlier poster said. Yes, it's a public place, but that doesn't mean that bad behavior is acceptable. And I've never actually encountered any obnoxiously drunk adults (does a 16-year-old at a Jimmy Buffet concert count?) at a public event. I've gone to countless sporting events and concerts, but I've never run into that.

Oaktown Traveler

ONE BIG DIFFERENCE,

...between an unruly adult and an unruly kid is you can go get the POLICE to do something about the unruly adult. You can't even give the offending kids parent a non-verbal "clue". MANY are offended and then they start behaving badly as well.

I now talk directly to kids, instead of suffering in silence. Those kicking my seat at the theatre, stadium or restaurant are spoken to DIRECTLY.
I ask him/her to please not kick my seat, thank you. They recoil and become lap bound for the evening. I also squint one eye while I sweetly communicate to the offending kid. I make stone cold eye contact with the parents who are NOW SO interested in what their child was "doing". I turn around, while they are NOW questioning their child about "what did the lady say to them". I say in a firm "Adult" voice that their kid was kicking my chair and I really do not want it to happen again. They recoil and start looking for empty seats, another table or they sit there talking about ME as if I am not there. I turn around and ask if we need someone to resolve the issue?
100% of the time they MOVE!

I am the mother of a teenager...I just don't have time to play with children or their offended parents while I am out enjoying an event.

Peace and Happy Travels
Oaktown

shadowhawke

Wow! What an excellent response! Thank you, for I also hate dealing with the annoying children that the parents don't seem to want to control. Another thing I do when children running around department stores parentless is ask them firmly, Where is your leash? Yes! some children are worse then pets. Sorry if this seems harsh, but if you have children, take care of them *please*.

Linda

I can relate to both sides of this question. As a parent myself, I absolutely deplore the way so many young parents neglect their responsibilities to teach their children how to behave. We've become very vigilant about where we are seated in a restaurant; if children are being allowed to misbehave near a table we're shown, we'll ask to sit elsewhere.

On the other hand, some of my happiest memories are going to baseball games as a child. A relative played for the Cincinnati Reds and it was a huge family outing to go see him play once or twice a year. My mother took books and coloring books for me; I tried to watch a little and generally fell asleep by the third inning. If not, someone walked me around. I still remember lots of nooks and crannies of good old Crosley Field.
So I would hate to make the blanket statement that "children of such-and-such an age are too young to go to baseball games". It's not that simple.

In your situation I would have tried asking the boy directly, politely but firmly, not to kick me. If that didn't work I would have asked his parents. And then I would probably have tried to move.
And I would have been just as upset as you are!

Linda

edie

My hubby and I are huge baseball fans. When my son was three (13 years ago) he began to express interest in attending a baseball game. Before we would take him he had to be able to watch an entire baseball game on tv and sing all the words to Take Me Out to the Ballgame. It took him two months to learn the song ;^)
On the big day we took him for a long walk by the lake and a trip to the zoo first, then stuffed him full of ballpark franks and apple juice. By the top of the third inning he was quietly napping in my lap. We woke him up to sing for the 7th inning stretch. Around the middle of the 8th he started to get restless so after a sweet double play, we stood up, shouted Cubs Win! and left the park. It was a wonderful day.

Jeannie

Just went to a high school graduation and was appalled at the number of crying babies, restless toddlers, and talking adults. Like many graduations, it was in the local football stadium to accommodate the numbers. I was sitting several feet away from a toddler who would not be quiet. I was too far away to say anything to the parent without causing more turmoil. The father finally, after about 30 minutes of the child talking and babbling, got up and took the child off.
Also annoying were the young adults who stood at the top of the stadium (this stadium is in a "bowl") and socialized during the ceremony.
With all the noise, it was difficult to concentrate on the graduation it self. Why do parents insist on bringing their babies to graduations? This graduation ceremony lasted less than two hours. This is not an expensive part of the country -- sitters are very reasonable. And why bring the babies or toddlers? They won't remember any of this and it distracts from the graduation.

Oaktown Traveler

Jeannie:

It's a lazy Sunday afternoon so I'll chime in again.

To answer your question: S-E-L-F-I-S-H!

And WHO would babysit these kids who have clueless parents???
Those "tag-along" babies, toddles, and kids are in tow for a REASON...trust me!

All In Fun On A Lazy Sunday Afternoon

Oaktown