Babies at conventions? Help!!!

[SonshineLearner]

How about reminding people before you start that the speech is being taped so to please turn off cellphones and to take crying babies out. But tell them that if they have to leave because of a crying baby or child, to email Peace Hill and you will make sure they get the taped speech provided for free when it is digitized and ready to send. That way they won't be feeling like they are going to miss the speech of their lives!

 

YES!! This!! If I were to take a baby somewhere like this... (and I don't think I would have) I would have taken a teen sitter with me, so that they could go walk the baby when I wanted to listen.

 

I have had someone shake their keys for their baby, while I was up front talking. I know that they did NOT mean to be rude, but it was distracting, and I lost my thoughts quickly. For a serious seminar, I would think it RUDE and be likely to stop and ask them to "quiet the baby please."

 

I think the whole, "if the baby starts crying please step out but ask for a recording, please" is considerate for those paying good money to leave their children at home.

 

I, for one, am planning on someday hearing SWB :( It hasn't happened yet... :(

[gardening momma]

I'm saying they haven't tackled the idea of making it easier for mothers to ATTEND the convention and still keep their littles (who might not want to be left and whom they might not feel comfortable leaving in some nursery with strangers). I like the teen for hire thing and would have used that.

If a baby or toddler doesn't want to be apart from his mother, why would a teen for hire who takes the baby out to the hall be helpful?

[Spy Car]

Why not just leave babies out in the car? :D

 

Bill

[KidsHappen]

Why not just leave babies out in the car? :D

 

Bill

 

 

:lol: No self-editing here. I love it!

[KidsHappen]

"No, I'm sorry. I could not possibly lend my dissection tools to a group of people who are clearly so unintelligent that they can't manage to fathom the immense rudeness of the request under the circumstances that they have created. It would be unconscienable. It takes care, precision, and logical thinking to dissect properly. I'm afraid some of you may be seriously injured!"Faith

 

You go girl. People who are rude deserve nothing but rudenes in return. How else with they ever learn.

[TravelingChris]

I am so happy to hear that all of you have the same opinions about this. I am not going to a convention this year but have this issue happening in our church. Now we have done two different things so people can have quiet worship or be able to hear the sermon- we have free nursery and also free children's church (the latter after introductory prayers, songs, and first reading) and we also have a simulcast viewing of the service in our fellowship hall with chairs set out. This means take your noisy kids out- to nursery, children's church, or go with them together to the fellowship hall and watch the service there). Most parents do one of those three choices. Some parents keep their littles with them but take them out for one of those choices if the need arises. Then there are those who think noisy kids are cute or something- I don;t want crying, I don't want banging on the pew with toys, I don';t want loud babbling. None of it, please. Not only is it distracting for everyone, it also makes it very hard to hear for those with hearing deficiencies. Just altogether bad manners.

 

I think I went to some conventions that didn't allow babies. I seem to remember getting babysitters or having to watch my time because I had to get a child from drop in care at the base daycare. In churches, with babies, I normally gave them the bottle and they were quiet. If not, out we went. I did transition to nursery care for church rather quickly and only with my third, did I start getting numbers popping up on the screen each week because she would non stop cry. Then I decided, after a few weeks, to take her to the crying room.

[Onceuponatime]

I've seen you use slides at some of your talks. Could you make a "please remove your noisy child" slide? Maybe you could have it queued up and then just flip the switch as needed.

 

 

I love this idea. So simple. A large screen behind the speakers head. Power Point projection on demand, removed when goal accomplished. No announcement on tape, no extra people needed.

 

But first I would explain that this will happen and enlist the audiences support to "encourage" the offender to leave.

 

Someone who will not leave after that is beyond hope.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

As I said in the other thread, some moms seem to have a very high tolerance for kid-noise. It's not just crying babies, either. A reminder to all parents that most noise, even soft humming, singing, and whispering (constantly) under the breath is very distracting to others would be great. My 10-yr-old is a hummer, and she gets poked a lot in quiet places :D.

 

It's very awkward for the speaker, I know. I think having to do it could be minimized by signs and reminders. The convention organizers should print signs to put in the rooms and at sign-in, and a notice should go on the web site and in the welcome packet.

 

The MidWest Conference has the following in the Attendee Understanding section that contains details about registration.

 

CHILDREN & TEEN REGISTRATIONS

• We do require that any fussy or crying babies or children be immediately removed from any SPEAKING SESSION or from the EXHIBIT HALL so as not to ruin the convention experience for those around you.

• There is a suggested "TEEN TRACK" of speaking sessions that are specifically designed for teenagers. This is available for a very nominal and affordable additional per-teen charge. (See Registration Pricing) Other than the “Teen Track†room, Teens are welcome to attend non-Teen Track sessions with or without theirparents.

• Parents assume all responsibility for their children and their behavior.

• All children must be registered, are expected to be quiet while attending any

speaking sessions and to be well-behaved while in a session or the exhibit hall.

• All children ages 12 and under are to be accompanied at all times by one of their own parents.

• If a child is deemed to be disruptive to a session or to the exhibit hall, the parent will be asked to leave the session or exhibit hall, along with their child, until such point that the child is able to be quiet and/or well-behaved.

• There is an unstaffed “nursery†room available for nursing moms at the Cincinnati convention. The other conventions simply have an area that is partitioned off with pipe & drape – as we don’t have quite as much space as in Cincinnati.

• The Cincinnati and Greenville conventions have an optional “Children’s Program†available that is provided by Children’s Conferences International. This requires separate registration and payment on the Children’s Conferences International website. (See the LINK provided on the homeschool convention website)

 

So it seem that while the conference is trying to accomodate parents with young children who want to attend, that they do still have the expectation that they will not be a disruption.

[Susan Wise Bauer]

As always, the Hive comes through. I have a plan now. Wish it involved costumes.

 

Thanks.

 

SWB

[JennyD]

Coming in late here:

 

What about a video or audio simulcast in another room? I asked my husband -- who is a veteran conference organizer -- and according to him it is not technologically difficult or expensive to set this up. The organizers would have to negotiate with the hotel or conference center, though, and the latter is likely to be much more accommodating than the latter. (And it may ultimately be cheaper to buy your own equipment to do this.)

 

My only other thought is that you might do better in a bigger room -- I don't know how crowded these conventions get (never been) but if people are jam-packed in that is both a disincentive to leave and makes it hard to get a seat conducive to an easy exit.

[JennyD]

double post, sorry!

[Colleen in NS]

 

3) Would anyone who's attending Cincy like to volunteer to be a room-sitter and tap parents with noisy babies on the shoulder and ask them to leave? We come to these things with a skeleton crew, so I don't have anyone to do this--but I could probably get you a vendor badge.

 

 

 

As always, the Hive comes through. I have a plan now. Wish it involved costumes.

 

Thanks.

 

SWB

 

I know you said you now have a plan, but I want to make one more suggestion that I didn't see mentioned in this thread. If you do get volunteer room-sitters, what about compensating *them* with a free lecture CD afterwards? Your lectures are so wonderfully packed with info. that when I went to the 2009 WTM conf., I had to fully concentrate in order to take notes. A volunteer room-sitter probably won't be able to concentrate as fully on the lecture if she is on the lookout for disturbances or having to go tap someone's shoulder and possibly explain the reason for the tapping. So room-sitters would probably appreciate CDs of the lecture.

[mirth]

I've never attended a talk at homeschool conference, but I have attended many at science conferences. There is always an evaluation form on every chair at the beginning of every talk asking the audience to rate the speaker, the A/V equipment, the comfort of the room, etc. Is this sort of feedback really absent at hs confs? Is there any form of feedback? Really, I think the conference leadership needs to step up.

 

Were I the speaker, I personally would not go for the "sound recording warning" or non-conference bouncers, but I would utter and execute the general disturbances-will-be-asked-to-leave statement.

[Mrs Mungo]

I guess I'm not sure what people mean when they suggest hiring a teen because they don't want to drop their kids off to strangers in a nursery? I just don't understand the difference.

 

What about a video or audio simulcast in another room? I asked my husband -- who is a veteran conference organizer -- and according to him it is not technologically difficult or expensive to set this up. The organizers would have to negotiate with the hotel or conference center, though, and the latter is likely to be much more accommodating than the latter. (And it may ultimately be cheaper to buy your own equipment to do this.)

 

I have not been to this particular conference before. However, looking at the schedule, they have 12 or 13 speakers speaking at once in different rooms. How would they accommodate everyone? Or are you all just thinking this would be nice for the 1 or 2 most popular speakers per session?

 

I'm a practical girl, I like practical solutions to problems. There are lots of things that are nice in theory-babycare is nice in theory, but very pricey to insure, pricey to get actual childcare workers, difficult to get the approval for rooms, etc. Yes, I've been to small conferences with baby care, but those conferences were held in churches that already had approved rooms for childcare.

 

What is a practical solution? Probably to have a baby room set aside where moms or helpers take babies. An a/v feed would be nice, but would you just feed in the speaker from the biggest room?

[In the Rain]

If you do get volunteer room-sitters, what about compensating *them* with a free lecture CD afterwards?

 

I think this is a great idea. I don't think people asked to leave should get free copies, but I love the idea of providing them to the room monitors. Also, I really hope most of your talks will be made available for purchase as downloads. I'd love to have more. :D

[melissel]

I guess I'm not sure what people mean when they suggest hiring a teen because they don't want to drop their kids off to strangers in a nursery? I just don't understand the difference.

 

I would think that if you had a teen available to hire, it would be someone you and your kids already knew and were comfortable with, rather than a group of strange faces and unknown personalities in a random nursery. (Not that I have a problem with a nursery room personally, I'm just trying to think along the lines of how that would make sense.)

[myfatherslily]

I can't believe I just sat and read through this whole thread at one time. My children need breakfast and we need to start SCHOOL!!! However, I was very amused by the suggestions:D

 

My three year old can tolerate no more than 2 hours MAX, *IF* he's in a good mood (and I have snacks w/ me), and my older two kids would be soooo bored, even if they were well-behaved. Not worth it at all. If I didn't have a place to leave them, I wouldn't bother to go.

 

Susan, I'm glad you have a plan now and I can't wait to see you in Greenville!

[angela in ohio]

I've never attended a talk at homeschool conference, but I have attended many at science conferences. There is always an evaluation form on every chair at the beginning of every talk asking the audience to rate the speaker, the A/V equipment, the comfort of the room, etc. Is this sort of feedback really absent at hs confs? Is there any form of feedback? Really, I think the conference leadership needs to step up.

 

There is an evaluation at the end of each Midwest conference. There have been many alterations based on feedback (food, facility, etc.)

 

I have never been to a homeschooling convention that didn't allow nursing babies under one year of age (and I've been to many state and other conventions.) I can't imagine that going over well, because that is an actual physical well-being issue (baby needs access to mom in order to eat.) The problem is more that over the years, moms have become less concerned about not disrupting others around them. The conference organizers are going to have to find solutions, I'm sure, but there really aren't easy answers. They do have a rule that noisy children and babies must leave the room, but homeschoolers in general are notorious for not following rules. ;)

[In2why]

Well, if you're already doing the preemptive thing, it's reasonable to do the direct thing later if necessary.

 

"I'm sorry," (looking at the caregiver) "but your crying baby is distracting me from giving my best right now. Would you please take him or her outside the room? Thanks so much. Now, where was I . . . "

 

 

I think this is the best way to handle it. I also promise not to lead the applause when they finally get up and leave, but I will be grateful that you took care of the distraction.

[Spy Car]

The well-trained, mind. Everyone else gets ejected!

 

Bill :D

[melissel]

The well-trained, mind. Everyone else gets ejected!

 

Bill :D

 

Bill, I sense that you are very much enjoying yourself in this thread! :lol::lol::lol:

[Giraffe]

...I now have visions of Pharonic stormtroopers lining the walls of the conference room, ready to swoop in and shoo out any crying or laughing babies with their peacock feathered shepherd's staffs, all to the tune of "Flight of the Bumblebees", while all the WTM attendees 'buzz' their approval!

 

(And, yes, I know I probably misspelled "Pharonic" - can't think through these allergies and antihistamines!)

[rafiki]

.

[gardening momma]

I would think that if you had a teen available to hire, it would be someone you and your kids already knew and were comfortable with, rather than a group of strange faces and unknown personalities in a random nursery. (Not that I have a problem with a nursery room personally, I'm just trying to think along the lines of how that would make sense.)

You'd have to bring your own teen, then pay for their room & board.

[In2why]

After reading through the responses my opinion has changed. I think you should request that the venue make a volunteer available to act as a room hostess.

 

It shouldn't be your job to give a great lecture and to police the room.

 

The idea of signs, chocolate, free tapes, flags, and whatnot, just isn't reasonable, although I know they come from a good heart and brainstorming ideas.

[melissel]

You'd have to bring your own teen, then pay for their room & board.

 

True, but this would be something I might be willing to do, especially if I was already booking an extra room for my kids or something. For example, I have a few cousins who are fun to be around and my kids adore. If I was in that situation, I'd be glad to pay to bring one of them along to corral the kids while I focused on the conference.

 

None of the situations is ideal, really. I'm just thankful my girls are old enough to stay with DH relatively happily now, AND he's off on Thursdays and Fridays to be able to stay with them. There have been several occasions where I wanted to go to conferences, but I just wasn't able to because of the kids/timing/situation. I'm very much looking forward to this year!

[JennyD]

Or are you all just thinking this would be nice for the 1 or 2 most popular speakers per session?

 

What is a practical solution? Probably to have a baby room set aside where moms or helpers take babies. An a/v feed would be nice, but would you just feed in the speaker from the biggest room?

 

Yes, I was thinking of just the most popular talk or talks.

[In2why]

That misses the point. No one pays $500 in expenses to go sit in some child care room at a convention. They go to attend. That is why mothers stay in, even when their kids are creating a disturbance. SWB wanted the other side, and I'm saying it. I have no clue if my kids were a disturbance the other years. Of course anything as cute as my ds in a Tigger suit WOULD be a disturbance, just by his very presence. But that aside, haha, I'm saying they haven't tackled the idea of making it easier for mothers to ATTEND the convention and still keep their littles (who might not want to be left and whom they might not feel comfortable leaving in some nursery with strangers). I like the teen for hire thing and would have used that. At a LLL convention I went to one year they had a supervised play room where siblings of a certain age could check in and out with their little siblings. Just takes some imagination.

 

 

I don't understand how having a teen for hire would help? Would they be in the room with you and able to quiet the baby when you couldn't?

[melissel]

I don't understand how having a teen for hire would help? Would they be in the room with you and able to quiet the baby when you couldn't?

 

That's what I was thinking. Or maybe hanging around outside the session room reading or watching a movie or whatever, just in case their services were needed. Or with the baby in the hotel room?

 

ETA: Ultimately, I don't think it needs to be up to the conference people to make it easier for moms to attend with little ones, although I think it's very nice if they try to do so. Conferences are extras/luxuries--they're not necessary to homeschooling. If you can find a way to go (with or without the littles), great! If you can't because you have little ones, then you can still homeschool anyway, and you can hit the conferences in a few years.

Edited March 8, 2011 by melissel

[*~Tina~*]

Just a thought. . .some of the suggestions might not be befitting for a conference who sort of promotes itself as a family friendly event - since naturally families includes babies and children who will undoubtably make noise :D So as annoying as it may be, I think the most tactful way to try and circumvent this type of disruption is with a strong, well-worded announcement (or two!) at the beginning.

[Impish]

How about a big sign that states, "Crying infants and children that aren't promptly removed become property of the speaker, who will then sell them on ebay."

 

Or, you could simply stop and announce that the crying infant/disruptive child is too distracting, and you'll continue once quiet is achieved.

[Kate CA]

Just a thought. . .some of the suggestions might not be befitting for a conference who sort of promotes itself as a family friendly event - since naturally families includes babies and children who will undoubtably make noise :D So as annoying as it may be, I think the most tactful way to try and circumvent this type of disruption is with a strong, well-worded announcement (or two!) at the beginning.

 

But conferences are not really for families. They are for parents to educate themselves to then homeschool. I have been to both kinds of conferences - the ones that allow full families to attend and then the no-children conferences. The ones that did not allow young children allowed the parent to concentrate on the information at hand, in a reasonable amount of peace, without the distractions of little ones in and out of the talks and the vendor hall.

 

I have five beautiful children, and I am grateful for each one, but IMO, they don't belong at a conference. The conference is for me to rejuvenate, to learn, and to make decisions about curriculum. It isn't for them. In the same way I would not ask my dh to take our children to an IT conference, he doesn't ask me to take them to my conferences.

[mom4him]

I am way past the very young child stage:001_smile: but I would think if you make the announcement when starting and someone doesn't heed this to stop speaking and make a reminder?

Crying babies don't normally bother me but I was always very aware of my own fussing and removed them quickly. I also know them some parents seem to be deaf to their own child's cry. They may simply need another reminder that the first announcement was for THEM.

[HootyTooty]

well, then, I agree with FairhManor. You need a bouncer!

 

ETA - I think the more this is displayed in print, the more it

might sink in. Can the conference organizers put it in multiple places, including the registration materials and conference program schedule? Post it on every door, in a succinct, "violators will be prosecuted" sort of way.

 

I haven't gone to a conference in years, but I do remember that after the last one I resolved to just order the tapes I wanted. I would be very careful about the circumstances under which you offer free CDs of the program, lest any entitlement minded mom thinks she should get one just for the asking.

:iagree:

 

I think if there are signs clearly posted, plus the announcement before the talk, I think people should be prepared to be asked to leave.

 

However, I would be prepared for a nasty-gram or two from people who will think "their baby" wasn't the only one and wasn't that bad.

[PeterPan]

I don't understand how having a teen for hire would help? Would they be in the room with you and able to quiet the baby when you couldn't?

 

Maybe you're saying this because you haven't been to the Midwest convention. The halls are HUGE. The other years I've taken my little (which again may have been one of those dreaded disturbers), we sat to the side, in the very large margins of the room, preferably by a door. I took my dd along, and because of the 10 year spread she could entertain ds or take him into the hall while I focused on the lecture. However there are limits to what a 10 yo feels comfortable with vs. a say 14 or 16 yo, and the fresh face and energy of a teen would help. Novelty is key with distracting littles, and any entertaining teen is a novel new toy for a toddler. Because the teen for hire could be literally 10 feet away, on the other side of a door, there's no issue of the child feeling scared like he would left in a nursery on the other side of the incredibly huge building.

 

I guess you'd have to have been there to know why it would work. Or maybe it wouldn't. Or maybe I'm the only one who parents in such a way that it would be fine to stay with an entertaining teen in the hall.

 

Well I hope SWB gets it sorted out. It really doesn't seem sensible to me that she's even getting stuck worrying about this. It's the convention organizer's job to solve, and she just needs to be emphatic that they do it.

[angela in ohio]

But conferences are not really for families. They are for parents to educate themselves to then homeschool. I have been to both kinds of conferences - the ones that allow full families to attend and then the no-children conferences. The ones that did not allow young children allowed the parent to concentrate on the information at hand, in a reasonable amount of peace, without the distractions of little ones in and out of the talks and the vendor hall.

 

I know many people who have asked them to change their policy on children over the years (I know I have!,) but they started this conference specifically to be family-friendly, I think, and they don't seem to be wavering, other than adding the children's conference. :001_smile:

Edited March 8, 2011 by angela in ohio

[Mrs Mungo]

Maybe you're saying this because you haven't been to the Midwest convention. The halls are HUGE. The other years I've taken my little (which again may have been one of those dreaded disturbers), we sat to the side, in the very large margins of the room, preferably by a door. I took my dd along, and because of the 10 year spread she could entertain ds or take him into the hall while I focused on the lecture. However there are limits to what a 10 yo feels comfortable with vs. a say 14 or 16 yo, and the fresh face and energy of a teen would help. Novelty is key with distracting littles, and any entertaining teen is a novel new toy for a toddler. Because the teen for hire could be literally 10 feet away, on the other side of a door, there's no issue of the child feeling scared like he would left in a nursery on the other side of the incredibly huge building.

 

I guess you'd have to have been there to know why it would work. Or maybe it wouldn't. Or maybe I'm the only one who parents in such a way that it would be fine to stay with an entertaining teen in the hall.

 

Well I hope SWB gets it sorted out. It really doesn't seem sensible to me that she's even getting stuck worrying about this. It's the convention organizer's job to solve, and she just needs to be emphatic that they do it.

 

I was asking how it would work because I really didn't understand what you were asking for. I'm still not sure why parents who would reject other forms of childcare under a stranger would be okay with this arrangement?

 

I know many people who have asked them to change their policy on children over the years (I know I have!,) but they started this conference specifically to be family-friendly, I think, and they don't seem to be wavering, other than adding the children's conference. :001_smile:

 

From the website:

Children’s attendance at the convention convention is included in your Family Registration with no specific “per child†registration fee. This is a part of our striving to keep the convention as affordable as reasonably possible.

 

The registration for the children's conference is $25/child. It would significantly raise the price for *everyone* (even people like me, who are leaving their kids at home) to have that cost included in the price. Maybe the solution is to charge an entrance fee for everyone and the kids could attend the children's program or not for the same entrance fee?

[AuntieM]

That's what I was thinking. Or maybe hanging around outside the session room reading or watching a movie or whatever, just in case their services were needed. Or with the baby in the hotel room?

 

ETA: Ultimately, I don't think it needs to be up to the conference people to make it easier for moms to attend with little ones, although I think it's very nice if they try to do so. Conferences are extras/luxuries--they're not necessary to homeschooling. If you can find a way to go (with or without the littles), great! If you can't because you have little ones, then you can still homeschool anyway, and you can hit the conferences in a few years.

 

:iagree:

 

And, HE-LLOOOOOOOO, the reason it's being recorded in the first place is so it can be made available to those who are unable to attend! Privilege, not entitlement....privilege, not entitlement...privilege, not entitlement...

[HS Mom in NC]

We have taken babies everywhere and one of us has always immediately left the room, restaurant, theater, wedding, dinner party, Thanksgiving Dinner, church service, recital, etc. when ours made noise. We never came back in until the child was quiet-ever. It's incredibly rude to let your child distract from an event.

 

It is perfectly appropriate to say, "This is being recorded for others. If your child is making noise, please step out immediately and return when the child is quiet. If you do not step out immediately on your own, I'll have to ask you to step out." Then do it.

I also suggest announcing and identifying with a sign that the back rows are reserved for mothers with children.

 

We attended a church that did this for those of us who had our children with us during the service. It's quick and easy to leave and easy to return. Those pews had a nice sign on them so everyone knew. (Baptists tend to fill a room from the back-I don't know why.) I still sit in the back because my 5 year old who, on occasion, needs to step out for a few minutes and quiet down.

Edited March 8, 2011 by Homeschool Mom in AZ
sentence structure

[silliness7]

I kind of like the flag idea mentioned above but don't think you would need three different colors. If you mentioned in the beginning that you've had problems with the noise level of children and that when it starts getting too loud you will raise a small flag. It might help some of the parents to stay more aware of all the noises not just the cries. You could have a sign posted as well for those who come in late.

 

A variation on the flag idea. How about a sign that says "Please Bring Noise Level Down...recording in progress"

 

If there is an actual sound person in the room doing the recording he/she could be in charge or the speaker could recruit an assertive child-free attendee in the front row to hold up the sign either at his/her own discretion or with eye contact from the speaker. Just make sure the sign holder isn't sitting directly in front of the speaker so the sign doesn't block the speaker's head while it is up.

 

During the intro remarks about removing crying babies the speaker could let everyone know about the procedure designed for quality recording purposes and late-comers hopefully would READ the sign and realize it pertained to them.

[Hoggirl]

how hard would it be to feed the lectures into another room? Our church has a "family room" where parents are to take crying babies during the service, but there is a live feed from the sanctuary. I don't know how many lectures are going on at once, so it might not be possible to have a family room for every single lecturer, but perhaps for the keynote ones???? I also have no idea how hard it is run sound into a second room, but I thought I would throw this thought out there.

[Teachin'Mine]

I know you said you now have a plan, but I want to make one more suggestion that I didn't see mentioned in this thread. If you do get volunteer room-sitters, what about compensating *them* with a free lecture CD afterwards? Your lectures are so wonderfully packed with info. that when I went to the 2009 WTM conf., I had to fully concentrate in order to take notes. A volunteer room-sitter probably won't be able to concentrate as fully on the lecture if she is on the lookout for disturbances or having to go tap someone's shoulder and possibly explain the reason for the tapping. So room-sitters would probably appreciate CDs of the lecture.

 

An excellent idea if I must say so myself. Which I did. ;):lol: Great minds think alike. :)

[Spy Car]

how hard would it be to feed the lectures into another room? Our church has a "family room" where parents are to take crying babies during the service, but there is a live feed from the sanctuary. I don't know how many lectures are going on at once, so it might not be possible to have a family room for every single lecturer, but perhaps for the keynote ones???? I also have no idea how hard it is run sound into a second room, but I thought I would throw this thought out there.

 

It would be so simple to run both a audio and video feed to another room. It is a great idea!

 

I know this is not up to SWB, but convention organizers could make this happen.

 

Bill

[*~Tina~*]

But conferences are not really for families. They are for parents to educate themselves to then homeschool. I have been to both kinds of conferences - the ones that allow full families to attend and then the no-children conferences. The ones that did not allow young children allowed the parent to concentrate on the information at hand, in a reasonable amount of peace, without the distractions of little ones in and out of the talks and the vendor hall. .

 

but they started this conference specifically to be family-friendly, I think, and they don't seem to be wavering, other than adding the children's conference. :001_smile:

 

What Angela said :D

 

I'm not saying I agree or disagree with you Kate, but as Angela pointed out, they started and marketed this one specifically to be family friendly.

 

That's all I was trying to highlight.

 

I'm all for the courtesy of loud, crying children being taken out of seminars, but anytime you're dealing with lots of people, you've got lots of opinions, and lots of personalities!

 

It might be conflicting to promote it as family friendly and then have stipulations on where babies and children are welcome.

[dirty ethel rackham]

At all the conventions (not just homeschooling, but other types as well) I have been to, at the beginning of each workshop, an announcement is made that babies are welcome, but if they get noisy (even "happy baby" noisy), as a courtesy to the presenter and other attendees, parents should step out to quiet them.

 

Are the workshops recorded? If so, that is even greater incentive because even happy baby noises get picked up by the microphone.

 

It's a shame they don't offer room monitors. Our small homeschool conference has them. These are volunteer positions and the volunteers get a small credit on their registration fees, plus they have a gratitude room with tasty goodies for volunteers. My boys will be doing this at our upcoming conference at a couple of children's workshops.

[H.S. Burrow]

But conferences are not really for families. They are for parents to educate themselves to then homeschool. I have been to both kinds of conferences - the ones that allow full families to attend and then the no-children conferences. The ones that did not allow young children allowed the parent to concentrate on the information at hand, in a reasonable amount of peace, without the distractions of little ones in and out of the talks and the vendor hall.

 

I have five beautiful children, and I am grateful for each one, but IMO, they don't belong at a conference. The conference is for me to rejuvenate, to learn, and to make decisions about curriculum. It isn't for them. In the same way I would not ask my dh to take our children to an IT conference, he doesn't ask me to take them to my conferences.

 

:iagree:I was planning to attend the Philly conference, but after reading all of the replies, I think I'll just stay home. :001_huh: I love my children, but would never dream of taking them into a lecture hall/seminar where MY attention will be on the speaker.

[vonfirmath]

The Indiana convention used to not even allow babies.

 

I always thought that was harsh and a little high-handed, but I was operating on the assumption that people would use their church-going manners and take out fussy babies.

 

It's not a problem at the church we are at now, but at our previous church, folks got REALLY offended when asked to take their kids out. "We come to church as a family and kids make noise, are you serious?" kind of attitude. So maybe they ARE using their church-going manners.

 

The pastor of course worked into this by encouraging folks NOT to take noisy babies out "I can talk louder than he can cry" etc

[In2why]

Maybe you're saying this because you haven't been to the Midwest convention. The halls are HUGE. The other years I've taken my little (which again may have been one of those dreaded disturbers), we sat to the side, in the very large margins of the room, preferably by a door. I took my dd along, and because of the 10 year spread she could entertain ds or take him into the hall while I focused on the lecture. However there are limits to what a 10 yo feels comfortable with vs. a say 14 or 16 yo, and the fresh face and energy of a teen would help. Novelty is key with distracting littles, and any entertaining teen is a novel new toy for a toddler. Because the teen for hire could be literally 10 feet away, on the other side of a door, there's no issue of the child feeling scared like he would left in a nursery on the other side of the incredibly huge building.

 

I guess you'd have to have been there to know why it would work. Or maybe it wouldn't. Or maybe I'm the only one who parents in such a way that it would be fine to stay with an entertaining teen in the hall.

 

Well I hope SWB gets it sorted out. It really doesn't seem sensible to me that she's even getting stuck worrying about this. It's the convention organizer's job to solve, and she just needs to be emphatic that they do it.

 

 

No, I have never been to that conference. I asked because I wasn't sure what you had in mind. After you described it, I am really uncomfortable with the idea.

[dirty ethel rackham]

Why does everyone think it is Attachment Parenting parents who let their babies cry? Every AP parent I know is very attuned to everything their baby is doing and experiences distress at the sound of crying babies and, thus will bend over backwards to comfort their baby. Now, they may be ignoring the happy baby noises, which, while sweet, are still distracting.

[Poke Salad Annie]

Well I hope SWB gets it sorted out. It really doesn't seem sensible to me that she's even getting stuck worrying about this. It's the convention organizer's job to solve, and she just needs to be emphatic that they do it.

 

I feel the same way. Each speaker at the convention must put in quite a bit of time and effort to prepare their lectures. It's a real shame that they would have to compete for the attention of attendees after they've spent time preparing and also traveling to the convention to give their presentation.

 

I also feel that it is a respect issue. The speaker is there to give a presentation to others, and we should offer him/her the common courtesy of our attention and respect, and that includes keeping the room free from distractions. The reason I traveled to the convention was to hear the speakers. I didn't have a need for anything in the exhibit hall.

Edited March 8, 2011 by Poke Salad Annie