Kennedy center requires tickets for infants!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Americans don't get culture clearly, and nor do they believe in making it accessible to children from a young age.

+1

+1000
That and capitalism

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Americans don't get culture clearly, and nor do they believe in making it accessible to children from a young age.

+1

+1000
That and capitalism

There are cultural events available to infants, you don't need to have access to everything to get your children accustomed to culture. It's the idea of disrupting others' experience that is probably at the heart of this. OP is certainly considering not taking the infant at this point. I am sure that was KC's point.

[Anonymous]

If it's Shear Madness, then by all means take your baby to go see it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To PPs - What wrong with taking an infant to play? If you sit bar the back and duck out if the baby fussed it should be no big deal. Or should adults stop living their lives and listen to "wheels on the bus" on a loop for the next five years?

Omg, because there's a time and place for everything. Get a freaking babysitter!! Kids do not belong everywhere and the Kennedy Center is one of them. Who said you should stop living your life. You just have to have someone watch your child!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I feel sorry for the poor PPs who are clearly stuck at home with their infants and no interest in or opportunity to get out and about. Stop singing those who want to go to open houses, the theater etc and don't see why their children should constrain them.

So just because it's inappropriate to take your baby to the theater, you take that to mean that you have to stay stuck at home?? There's plenty of other cool things to do that you can bring your kid to. You know that right?

[Anonymous]

Good for them. I hope the infant price is $1,000, because I paid enough that I don't need to listen to your child screaming or deal with you getting up every 5 minutes to "pop out" to the lobby and sooth her.

Get a babysitter.

[Anonymous]

What nonsense.
It's clearly to dissuade you from going with an infant.

[Anonymous]

really surprised at the negative comments here! People should have the option of taking their kids everywhere. Many don't have baby sitter options and I would not lave a small child with a sitter anyway. Paying for an extra ticket is an unnecessary burden on a new parent. The child would probably sleep through the hour anyway.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Really surprised at the negative comments here! People should have the option of taking their kids everywhere. Many don't have baby sitter options and I would not have a small child with a sitter anyway. Paying for an extra ticket is an unnecessary burden on a new parent. The child would probably sleep through the hour anyway.

Uhhhh......you got bigger problems if you can't find a babysitter, especially with technology now a days.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:really surprised at the negative comments here! People should have the option of taking their kids everywhere. Many don't have baby sitter options and I would not lave a small child with a sitter anyway. Paying for an extra ticket is an unnecessary burden on a new parent. The child would probably sleep through the hour anyway.

No. People should not have the option of taking a newborn (not a kid, but a 6 week old!) everywhere. Movies (not cry friendly), 4 star restaurants, strip clubs, bars/clubs, and some KC productions are all examples places that are not appropriate for newborns-- and where they are not wanted. A good, adult KC production is a three hour affair, not one (so the baby eats, when?), is dressup formal, tickets can cost $100 or more, and the production can be noisy (especially since many have the score played by the NSO). None of these things work with a screaming newborn. I don't think I have ever seem a kid under the age of 6-7 at one.

Places that are appropriate to take a small child-- the KC family theater (but even these suggest the child be at least 2, at the youngest, and older for some shows), the Mellinium stage at the KC, like the PP. Wolftrap, especially with lawn seats, kids plays at Imagination Station, Glen Echo, the zoo, the Baltimore acquarium, the awesome Baltimore children's museum. You can do lots of "culture" with kids as young as toddlers. But it needs to be geared to the child's age and maturity level. A 6 week old can't be expected to sit through a three hour play without becoming disruptive. And you can't expect people who paid hundreds of dollars for tickets to appreciate the disruption-- or be happy about getting up and down every few minutes and mom comes in and out. Not to mention that a 6 week old needs to be home, in bed at 11 at night, and not out in public. So, you are really not being fair to the kid.

What we seem to have here is a mom to be who does not fully grasp how much her life is about to change, and thinks she can pop out the baby and continue on with her prebaby life. That's not the way things work. You certainly don't need to sit in the house until your child is 10. But you have to adjust, so that your activities are kid appropriate. And in the end, it is fine, becaus you enjoy taking your toddler to see the pandas, or to the KC Teddy Bear Symphony. And when you need an adult night, hire a babysitter, and enjoy your play.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Americans don't get culture clearly, and nor do they believe in making it accessible to children from a young age.

+1

+1000
That and capitalism

There are cultural events available to infants, you don't need to have access to everything to get your children accustomed to culture. It's the idea of disrupting others' experience that is probably at the heart of this. OP is certainly considering not taking the infant at this point. I am sure that was KC's point.

Seriously. I think these other PPs have a screw loose.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The obvious question: why take a ten year old to a play at the KC? If you are doing children's theather, that'/ one thing (but not at 10 weeks!!). Otherwise, your kid will get nothing out of the play, opera, ballet, symphony, etc. and if they start fussing, will disrupt the entire theater, while you push past everyone in your row and try to get the child out. This is just like taking a newborn to the movie theater (except for cry showings)--?except the audience members have shelled out much, much more money for a relaxing ADULT evening.

So why does the KC require this? To strongly discourage parents from bringing young kids to an " adult" show-- or even an older kid show, like the Lion King. By the time your DC is 3-4, look for things in the children's theater.

But please don't take a baby to an adult show. Just no. Instead, take the $$ you would spend on a ticket and hire a babysitter, so you can really enjoy the show without worrying about your child shrieking, or having to leave mid-way through.

What kind of bad parent would leave their 10 week old with a babysitter? That's even worse than taking the kid to a play.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:really surprised at the negative comments here! People should have the option of taking their kids everywhere. Many don't have baby sitter options and I would not lave a small child with a sitter anyway. Paying for an extra ticket is an unnecessary burden on a new parent. The child would probably sleep through the hour anyway.

This is sarcasm, right?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The obvious question: why take a ten year old to a play at the KC? If you are doing children's theather, that'/ one thing (but not at 10 weeks!!). Otherwise, your kid will get nothing out of the play, opera, ballet, symphony, etc. and if they start fussing, will disrupt the entire theater, while you push past everyone in your row and try to get the child out. This is just like taking a newborn to the movie theater (except for cry showings)--?except the audience members have shelled out much, much more money for a relaxing ADULT evening.

So why does the KC require this? To strongly discourage parents from bringing young kids to an " adult" show-- or even an older kid show, like the Lion King. By the time your DC is 3-4, look for things in the children's theater.

But please don't take a baby to an adult show. Just no. Instead, take the $$ you would spend on a ticket and hire a babysitter, so you can really enjoy the show without worrying about your child shrieking, or having to leave mid-way through.

What kind of bad parent would leave their 10 week old with a babysitter? That's even worse than taking the kid to a play.

Actually, no it's not. The worst thing is buying a ticket for a nice evening out at the Kennedy Center, hiring a babysitter, getting dressed up, perhaps a nice dinner with DH......and then having to suffer through an infant sitting next to you during the show.

[Anonymous]

I wish more places required tickets for infants. Not just the obvious adult events, but also things like sporting events and concerts, where it gets loud. You see idiot young parents there with the baby in headphones. Duh. Leave the kid at home!