Why don't people use babysitters anymore??

[3boys]

I have 3 kids and I NEVER took them anywhere unless it was explicitly stated that kids were invited. Even if hubby and I showed up and other kids were there, oh well, we got a night out without kids and ENJOYED OURSELVES!!! AND, if they WERE invited, I would take plenty of snacks, drinks, toys, etc, to keep them entertained, hydrated, fed, whatever, so the hosts would not be inconvenienced by them. The way I look at it, they're MY kids, whether or not we're at my house, it's still MY responsibility to keep them under control, fed, entertained, whatever.

[GoneCrazy]

1 reason it might cost to much money or 2. they jsut can't seem to find the "right" babysitter. Its understandable kids running around, you gotta be careful what you say and so forth.

[eggplant47]

1 reason it might cost to much money or 2. they jsut can't seem to find the "right" babysitter. Its understandable kids running around, you gotta be careful what you say and so forth.

 

Agreed, those are both very valid reasons for not leaving the children with a sitter. My point though, was that it is not appropriate to bring your children to certain events such as cocktail parties. If the parents aren't comfortable finding a sitter- then they should sit the party out instead of inconveniencing the host/hostess and annoying the other guests.

[MarmiteCrumpet]

Agreed, those are both very valid reasons for not leaving the children with a sitter. My point though, was that it is not appropriate to bring your children to certain events such as cocktail parties. If the parents are comfortable finding a sitter- then they should sit the party out instead of inconveniencing the host/hostess and annoying the other guests.

 

This. It's that sense of entitlement that pisses me off.

[BellaDonna]

Honestly, I have a very active 2 year-old and I don't think OP has a sense of entitlement. If she is having a cocktail party at her own home she has the right to prefer a certain kind of atmosphere (i.e. adults only, relaxed conversation, laid back drinking) and invite who she wants to.

 

I would never bring my toddler to a cocktail party that started after 8pm. That just seems ridiculous to me. I'd stay home before I took my child to something like that. I'd be mad if someone brought their child to an adult party at my home too, and I am a parent.

 

It's nothing against children. IMO, there are some places children belong (like parties for their peers, family gatherings, etc) and other places that are just not suitable for them. As a parent I try to be sensitive to that because everyone around me does not have to revolve around my child. At a cocktail party I would rather know that all of the adults there were having carefree fun without me, rather than attending with my child and totally changing the dynamic of the party.

[MarmiteCrumpet]

Um yes. I agree. I was saying that some parents have a sense of entitlement, not the OP wanting an Adult-only event.

 

It does annoy me and I AM a parent, but I was always quite strict with them - especially out in public - so that they wouldn't invade other people's space etc. So I know it can be done and I know that being a parent of young children sometimes involves sacrifice, including not being able to attend every event because your little darlings may not be welcome. Tough. Life choices etc.

[3boys]

 

It does annoy me and I AM a parent, but I was always quite strict with them - especially out in public - so that they wouldn't invade other people's space etc. So I know it can be done and I know that being a parent of young children sometimes involves sacrifice, including not being able to attend every event because your little darlings may not be welcome. Tough. Life choices etc.

I have been strict too and if I DID take my children somewhere, even if there were other ones around, you can bet that MINE weren't the ones running around, being loud, annoying people, etc. Unfortunately, there are just too many parents that take their kids somewhere and seem to forget that they're there. If I had $5 for every time I ended up telling someone else's kid to "behave," or telling the parents their child was doing "XX," I'd be rich....unfortunately, most of the time, I had no clue who/where the parents were, or if I did and told them, they'd usually either ignore me or just tell them to stop and go right back to what they were doing--of course, as soon as the parent walked away, the kid went right back to doing it

[hexaemeron]

If you can't afford to find a sitter, or you can't find someone you trust, I guess you just have to sit it out. I hate going to midnight showings for movies that premiere and people bring infants and toddlers because they just have to see the movie. Nevermind that those poor children are off their schedule, screaming and crying, probably scared by what's going on in the movie with the loud noises and visual action.

 

I don't blame the children for this, even though I HAAAAAAAAAAAAATE hearing them whine and scream. I blame the parents bringing them to a wholly inappropriate situation and the evening of everyone around them. I actually had to call out to a family "YOUR CHILD HAS BEEN SCREAMING FOR OVER AN HOUR - PLEASE GET THE HELL OUT!"

 

...to which I received a wave of applause.

 

Terrible. The entitlement of some people.

[sophie274]

^^ On a sort of related note, when I was a senior in high school that film The Passion of Christ (by Mel Gibson) came out. I don't know if any of you have seen it but it shows the whole passion in quite graphic detail. The film is rated R.

 

Anyway, in the movie theater, a woman was sitting in front of us with her daughter, who looked to be about 6-7. When the violence started, the girl freaked out and started crying, shaking, was covering her eyes, and was begging her mother to please go home and stop watching the movie. This girl cried the entire time - fell on deaf ears - the mother wanted to watch the movie. Isn't that just awful?! Why would you do that to your child? The poor thing is traumatized and begging to go and you make her stay?! I wanted to slap that woman and take the poor girl outside for popcorn or something.

[Seraphim]

What that woman did was child abuse, the theatre should be charged as well for allowing the child in.

[sophie274]

What that woman did was child abuse, the theatre should be charged as well for allowing the child in.

 

Well in the US if you're with a parent you're not bound by the age restriction. Yes I couldn't believe what that woman was doing - it was just flat out cruel. I think if I saw the same thing happen today, I would get up and tell her to get her child out of there, or get an usher to make them leave.

[Seraphim]

Some people who claim to be parents sometimes make me SICK.