I absolutely hate it when people complain about children being out in certain places. I mean, I totally get that there are places children shouldn’t be like strip clubs or perhaps you may not want to take your colicky newborn to a fine dining restaurant. But places like museums or planes or your local cafe–I’m sorry people, you are going to have to put up with kids being there. Every time I hear someone bitch about a child in these kinds of places, I want to turn around and say to them, “What the heck? Did your parents never take you anywhere? Where you locked up in the basement until you were 18?”
What’s that, you say? What about the little monsters that no one wants to deal with? Oh you mean like the kids in this photo that was recently posted on Twitter?
Holy crap. Horrible kids, horrible parents. @tate pic.twitter.com/6h1nuY6CfQ
— Stephanie Theodore (@TheodoreArt) January 26, 2014
Okay, so at first it doesn’t look so bad. It’s just a kid wedged in some kind of weirdish structure with the parents standing right by the kid with another child. No biggie, but they happen to be at London’s Tate Modern museum and that thing is a multi-million dollar piece of art, not a jungle gym. In the end, no children or artwork were harmed, but someone was irritated enough to call out both the parents and the children.
Listen, I have no problem with the parents being called out for not teaching their children proper museum ettiquette, but don’t call the kids “horrible.” It’s not children’s fault that their parents idiots.
Puh-leaze do not use something like this as an excuse to ban kids from museums. Use it as an excuse to get whoever is in charge to kick out these particular fools who should know better. I’m sure that if I were to climb on a piece of art, I would get kicked out, so go ahead and lead these parents and their children out the door so that all the other kids and grown ups in the joint see that if you misbehave there are consequences.
Ay! me da un ataque. People, as in parents, need to teach kids to respect art. If you are taking your toddler/kid to a museum to teach them about art entonces teach them how to behave around it. But then again, playing Devil’s advocate here, sometimes kids do things so fast that you don’t get a chance to stop them…if my son ever did something like that me da un ataque!
I thought you were going to post about the recent “dust-up”, “twitter twist” “facebook flame”, ok I don’t what to call it, story about kids at a super expensive restaurant in Chicago. I had not heard of this one. That kid is an artful dodger!
Yes kids should be taught respect for art and property in general. But their life probably is confusing if one day they are at a children’s museum and the next an art museum.
Even as an adult I prefer art that I’m allowed to touch and interact with.
I am aware of the restaurant situation you mentioned and it certainly was in mind when I wrote this. I like your points about kids being confused depending on the are venue.
Well said. We were all children and to tell parents they must have enough money to pay for today’s childcare costs or be housebound at all times is unreasonable. I’ve been on both ends: I’ve taken my children to a nice restaurant where they happened to behave and received compliments from strangers on it. I’ve also gotten the stink eye — and even comments — when they’ve thrown tantrums at the supermarket or airplane. The reality is you cannot control a little child’s behavior. That’s probably the most shocking thing I learned as a parent.
Yup. Yesterday I took my daughters to the doctor while they were in the room with the doctor they were perfect little angels, then we went to the pharmacy and they flipped into screaming, climbing, disruptive little people. I was “that” parent that couldn’t control my kids. In the end, no one was hurt, they were just louder than peaceful loving people would like.
yikes, i took my sons to the art museum, we were in one section that was interactive, but then in the next area it wasn’t and I forgot to tell the one NOT in the stroller at the time (he was 3 or 4) and he reached to touch a sculpture and set off the alarms (ugh) — the security guard was so understanding and nice and I was very apologetic and Jake put his hands in his pocket from that point on 🙁 — I do understand that kids get curious and forget what they’re told, but I can’t imagine standing there and watching as my child played on a piece of sculpture like that. Yikes.
That was the point that lisleman brought up too in the comments that kids can get confused between interactive exhibits and ones that aren’t. In the end, they are kids; they are learning.
Unbelievable, these parents! Wow.
Standing ovation!! Good for you, I agree totally.
Mwah!!!
I’m 100% with you! Kids are kids. It’s on the parents to raise them right. All the child bans make me sick. It reminds me of the old days when the idea that “children are meant to be seen and not heard” was the rule of the land. I don’t sign on to that mess. Won’t never.
I don’t think there should be bans on kids anywhere, but parents need to understand the limitations of their own children. I have friends who have kids with a lot of patience and can sit and generally behave in restaurants (especially with the help of a colouring book or iPad), then others who tend to avoid them because they know their kid is too busy and fussy for more adult oriented venues.
I agree. I love to go thrift store shopping, but I can’t take my kids because they get bored and find creative ways to entertain themselves.
I agree.
I’m pretty sure that security cameras showed those family dynamics from the moment they arrived; someone could have intervened, explaining/teaching the parents politely what expected behavior/limits are at the museum. Obviously, the parents’ own parents didn’t teach them about respecting art; maybe they just need to be educated.