National Building museum -over reaction?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can absolutely see how any employee anywhere near children in this area would be fed up with all the entitled parents. Change your way of thinking, try being considerate and aware and gmaybe just maybe apologetic. Stop trying to be in lawyer mode, so defensive and try being sympathietic and more human like. You will get much, much further acting like a responsbile adult than a spoiled child yourself. Lookiong for free child care is just looking to piss people off. Don't be surprised in the least. Just saying.

Did I miss where the OP said she was a lawyer?

OP is not a lawyer; I know her. And the first paragraph about her is absolutely wrong. She is a wonderful parent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
View it as a learning experience for your child OP. Not everybody loves kids. Not everybody is going to always be nice to your kid. Eventually your child will be in school and will need to deal with meanies as well. Teaching your kid to deal with these situations will go a long way. Explain to your child why said staff member scolded her or restrained her. I know OP's kid is pretty young, but it can still be a good learning experience.

This is SO true.

I feel that often times, posters need to just use these types of situations to explain proper behavior to their kids. Instead, they'd prefer to whine and complain that they were mistreated and abused.

[Anonymous]

I wonder why there are so many mean posters on DCUM today, intent on smoking out the brats and entitled parents.

OP- I think I know which attendant you are talking about, and she is ALWAYS looking for a reason to call parents on the carpet.

on a related note - I don't go to the Portrait Gallery in Chinatown any more because I am stalked by security guards waiting to pounce on the smallest infraction, such as a child touching the glass in which an exhibit is held while trying to complete the supposedly kid-friendly scavenger hunt. I hate that place. And no, my kids aren't wildly running around smearing peanut butter on the art.

[Anonymous]

Instead, they'd prefer to whine and complain that they were mistreated and abused.

Seriously - why such meanness - had a bad weekend?

[Anonymous]

If this stringent criteria had applied to Jason Pollack, he never would have found his calling. And I am not being ironic or snarky.

Anonymous wrote:You mean, "Jackson" Pollock?

I didn't realize he worked in peanut butter.

No, Jason, his equally talented but more slovenly brother. He wasn't allowed near the art; now, he works in a school cafateria, often with soy butter. (Can't have peanuts in a school!) You should he how he spreads it - he really missed his calling.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can absolutely see how any employee anywhere near children in this area would be fed up with all the entitled parents. Change your way of thinking, try being considerate and aware and gmaybe just maybe apologetic. Stop trying to be in lawyer mode, so defensive and try being sympathietic and more human like. You will get much, much further acting like a responsbile adult than a spoiled child yourself. Lookiong for free child care is just looking to piss people off. Don't be surprised in the least. Just saying.

Did I miss where the OP said she was a lawyer?

OP is not a lawyer; I know her. And the first paragraph about her is absolutely wrong. She is a wonderful parent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
View it as a learning experience for your child OP. Not everybody loves kids. Not everybody is going to always be nice to your kid. Eventually your child will be in school and will need to deal with meanies as well. Teaching your kid to deal with these situations will go a long way. Explain to your child why said staff member scolded her or restrained her. I know OP's kid is pretty young, but it can still be a good learning experience.

This is SO true.

I feel that often times, posters need to just use these types of situations to explain proper behavior to their kids. Instead, they'd prefer to whine and complain that they were mistreated and abused.

I did let my 18 month old know that there was no running. But that is a lesson that we are trying to explain. I'm sure you are well aware that is a difficult one to teach - and she won't learn it overnight.

Also - I don't really think I'm whining about her being abused - if anyone took it as such.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wonder why there are so many mean posters on DCUM today, intent on smoking out the brats and entitled parents.

OP- I think I know which attendant you are talking about, and she is ALWAYS looking for a reason to call parents on the carpet.

on a related note - I don't go to the Portrait Gallery in Chinatown any more because I am stalked by security guards waiting to pounce on the smallest infraction, such as a child touching the glass in which an exhibit is held while trying to complete the supposedly kid-friendly scavenger hunt. I hate that place. And no, my kids aren't wildly running around smearing peanut butter on the art.

You are kidding, right? You have never let your child, or had your child be so out of control as to without your permission, touch the display cases in which the art is contained, right? If you don't see that as a major problem, then you really should not be taking your children to museums.

[Anonymous]

I'm a former DCPS 1st grade teacher. I took my students to museums all the time on field trips and you probably would have HATED me as your child's teacher. Before every museum trip, I gave a LONG talk about not touching the art, how to behave respectfully in a museum, how to walk carefully through the exhibits, be gentle with the stuff you can touch, etc. My class was exceptionally well behaved on trips, probably because I was such a hardass about it. On every trip, I was annoyed by parents who allowed their children (almost always named Cameron, Emma, Madison or Carter) to run amok while my Dwaynes, Laniahs and Tierras were pushed out of the way by the Cameron crew. So, when the guards would speak harshly to the Cameron crew, I was glad, becasue clearly no one else was telling them that the world is not their playground and they can't run their way to the front at every moment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wonder why there are so many mean posters on DCUM today, intent on smoking out the brats and entitled parents.

OP- I think I know which attendant you are talking about, and she is ALWAYS looking for a reason to call parents on the carpet.

on a related note - I don't go to the Portrait Gallery in Chinatown any more because I am stalked by security guards waiting to pounce on the smallest infraction, such as a child touching the glass in which an exhibit is held while trying to complete the supposedly kid-friendly scavenger hunt. I hate that place. And no, my kids aren't wildly running around smearing peanut butter on the art.

Security guards should be pleasant. After all, they're the public face of the museum. BUT, as a mom whose other job is caring for museum objects, I can tell you that touching cases really shouldn't be permitted. It is absolutely appropriate for guards to intervene when this happens, or even if it looks like it's about to happen. Hopefully, they can do this nicely, but they do need to take action.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wonder why there are so many mean posters on DCUM today, intent on smoking out the brats and entitled parents.

OP- I think I know which attendant you are talking about, and she is ALWAYS looking for a reason to call parents on the carpet.

on a related note - I don't go to the Portrait Gallery in Chinatown any more because I am stalked by security guards waiting to pounce on the smallest infraction, such as a child touching the glass in which an exhibit is held while trying to complete the supposedly kid-friendly scavenger hunt. I hate that place. And no, my kids aren't wildly running around smearing peanut butter on the art.

You are kidding, right? You have never let your child, or had your child be so out of control as to without your permission, touch the display cases in which the art is contained, right? If you don't see that as a major problem, then you really should not be taking your children to museums.

Wait- you're not allowed to touch the cases? Says who? I'm 30 and I would be soooo in trouble at the museum with PP. The case is not like a frame. What gives?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:http://www.cnn.com/2011/OPINION/07/05/granderson.bratty.kids/index.html?hpt=hp_c2

Curb your brat.

Every single DCUMer with a special snowflake needs to read this editorial.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wonder why there are so many mean posters on DCUM today, intent on smoking out the brats and entitled parents.

OP- I think I know which attendant you are talking about, and she is ALWAYS looking for a reason to call parents on the carpet.

on a related note - I don't go to the Portrait Gallery in Chinatown any more because I am stalked by security guards waiting to pounce on the smallest infraction, such as a child touching the glass in which an exhibit is held while trying to complete the supposedly kid-friendly scavenger hunt. I hate that place. And no, my kids aren't wildly running around smearing peanut butter on the art.

You are kidding, right? You have never let your child, or had your child be so out of control as to without your permission, touch the display cases in which the art is contained, right? If you don't see that as a major problem, then you really should not be taking your children to museums.

Wait- you're not allowed to touch the cases? Says who? I'm 30 and I would be soooo in trouble at the museum with PP. The case is not like a frame. What gives?

No-- no touching cases! They may not be weighted enough to take pressure without dislodging something (either something functional placed out of view in the base, the carefully measured lighting/ light filtering apparatus, or the mounts/ objects themselves). Even moving a mounted object a little could really compromise its support over time. And some cases are designed to be more laboriously sealed than others, so a nudge could challenge environmental controls. Even oily smudges on the glass could tempt housekeepers to do more "wet" cleaning, and the introduction of solvents near not-so-sealed cases creates environmental changes that can cause damage over time.

I realize this may sound like overkill to many DCUMs, but an abundance of caution is the rule for best preventative conservation practices.

[Anonymous]

Of course it is overkill, anything that prevents DCUMs brats from doing whatever they want, unchecked is overkill.

[Anonymous]

Maybe the guard was just reprimanded for allowing kids to run, maybe there was an incident that ended up with the guards being told to baton down the hatches and watch the youngsters, maybe something was damaged... You have no idea WHY the guard acted the way the did. Maybe they weren't just being an ass to your child and you shouldn't take it so personally, maybe they let someone slide and they were told not to.

I mean, I'd rather the guard grab my kid than my kid damage something in a museum. Don't you think?