Taking homeschooled children to adult 'hobby' meetings

[Sebastian (a lady)]

:iagree:

 

They are there for the hobby. Not a family party. Not a girls' night out. If the kid is old enough to participate, then he should be welcomed. Rocket clubs, astornomy clubs, electronics clubs all these "adult clubs" abound where I live without age restrictions. Yeah it's mostly adults, but most kick a real joy out of sharing their knowledge with a new generation and a lot is learned by everyone. Which is the actual point of the hobby club.

 

My dh joined his local historical society when he was about 9. For a few years, his dad drove him. Then other members of the society (who were often in their 60s or older would pick him up for meetings.

 

When my dh's brother was about 9, he started attending local astronomy club meetings.

 

DH has two degrees in history. BIL is an astrophysicist.

 

If your son shares an interest in the group, then I don't think that it is absurd to ask about his becoming a full member. And that discussion should include a conversation about what trips he can attend.

 

But also, be a good listener to the response that you get and don't dismiss it out of hand without weighing if there is some merit to it. Sometimes we as parents aren't the best judge of how disruptive our kids may be to other people. (I generally have an open policy for siblings at cub scout meetings, but there is one family where the daughter is quite disruptive, loud, needy and interupting. However, I'm sure that her mom sees her actions as cute and charming.)

[LibraryLover]

:iagree:I would think certain things, such as militia re-enactment (is that what they call them?), astronomy clubs etc., would be set up for anyone interested in such things, including mature children. Certainly there are children at such events I've attended. I think Scrapbooking and some book groups etc might not be thinking about including kids. Some groups are more social, and might not want children, and some welcome children to become educated & participatory; to carry on the legacy etc. Poultry clubs welcome children, fi.

Edited April 11, 2010 by LibraryLover

[JFSinIL]

I co-ran an autism support group that met evenings once a month - my co-leader sometimes had to bring her two boys as her hubby worked nights and there really was no one to watch them. She also had a TON of information about autism/therapies/homeschooling autism/legal issues (this mom is smart as a whip) and "picking her brains" was very useful for the newbies.

 

However - we also got a ton of flack from a few parents for whom this evening was their sole adult time of the month. It was a no-win situation.

[GoVanGogh]

The director just called me back me. Good news. :D

 

She said that my son has been an "associate member" since his birth and, as such, he is always welcome to attend tours. She then complimented me on his behavior.

I still won't take him on the longer tours, as it is harder to keep off to ourselves on those tours. But I am very, very relieved that I can keep taking him on shorter tours. And that we can go forward with our docent training, as I think this will be a great volunteer opportunity for us.

 

Yeah!

[dangermom]

Yay!

[Nestof3]

Honestly, if I signed up for an adult hobby, I would expect there to be no children. I'm fine with children being around, I think having mixed classes and such are great, we've been in a family-integrated church for years, and I am not a fan of the amount of age-segregation that takes place these days, but there are times I only want to be with adults.

[TravelingChris]

I am glad it all worked out Suzanne. I completely agree with the others about how gardening clubs are more like astronomy clubs, bird watching groups, etc, where the topic is the subject and are completely appropriate for kids who are interested in the subject. These clubs are different than scrabbooking or bookclubs where conversations are geared towards adults. I am a garden club member and my group meets in the evenings. I can't do much with them but do go to about half the meetings. My kids don't have to go and don't want to go but did go with me to a volunteer garden clean-up. I have also been a book club member and consider that kind of club very different. IN the past, we have gone to some astronomy meetings and bird watching meetings and they have always welcomed well behaved children. It all depends on the purposes of the group.

[FlockOfSillies]

I love gardeners in general, but there is one here and there that gardens because they are misanthropes. I wouldn't be surprised if there was one Scrooge in the bunch bringing this all on.

 

Funny how these misanthropic people decide to spend their time in groups of 100 objects of their disdain.