This is something I always wanted to get an opinion on from /cgl/ because I've seen a few posts in different threads about it but I've never really seen threads about it. Anyway:
>Do you think kids should be permitted at cons? Or do you think it depends on the con?
>Do you think there should be an age limit when it comes to bringing children?
I'd just like to hear people's complaints or opinions on the subject, or even some stories.
>>8977892
Babies 0-4 do not do well at cons and can get trampled, stolen or sick.
However 5+ seem like an ok age to bring along, as long as the parent watches them and leaves as soon as the kid becomes miserable.
Some young kids enjoy cons and its a magical experience where all these superheroes are walking around in front of their very eyes.
Parents who neglect, ignore or use their children as props purely because they want to have fun need to be shot and their kids handed over to CPS.
I hear too many stories of people using their brats as a cosplay prop, expecting to be catored to or just refusing to take care of their kid because con is "me time". Its sickening. Don't have kids if you aren't gonna take care of them.
>>8977912
I'm ok with it, pretty much agree with >>8977912
It feels awesome when you see someone's face light up when they get excited when they see who you're dressed as, being their favorite character or something, but it feels even more genuine with a kid. A lot of the time with adults, they compliment you based on, "Hey, you got that buckle and patch right, most don't." But with kids, they're just super excited to see their hero. I appreciate when people see the hard work I put into my cosplays, but a kid getting excited is something else.
Just today at a con as I was dressed as the Lone Wanderer from Fallout, a kid came up to me (he was a Ninja Turtle, his dad was Master Chief) all excited. He asked to get his photo taken with me, I let him shoulder my Laser Rifle and gave him one of my many Nuka Cola bottle caps. He was estatic.
While I had questions as to whether a 9 year old should play Fallout (perhaps I'm overreacting, my parents abided by the ESRB ratings and I plan on it with my kids), I was more than happy with his reaction, and it reminded me that we're all emulating someone's hero here (or favorite villain, waifu, ect).
I remember one year when this guy parked his baby cart (baby included) flush against my artist alley table so he could go play in the Yu Gi Oh tournament a good 50 feet away. It wasn't an immediate brb, as weird as that would still be. The guy was gone a good half hour before I visibly saw him just hanging out playing Yu Gi Oh. 'Bout lost my fucking mind.
I had to find someone to watch my table for a sec while I carefully go move the baby cart back to the shitty dad, to which he starts freaking out at me about what the fuck I'm doing.
I get back and apparently the fucking mother with second baby sit at my table (as the guy I asked to watch my table has an emergency and had to run and wound up asking this lady as he knew her) and this one's little baby was eating my markers because the mom was not paying attention either. Fortunately they were crayola, but god fucking damn. Apparently they liked my table because it was the one within eyeshot of the YGO tournament. I try and chill out and I guess I wound up being really nice to the lady (for having a spare chair for her to sit in I guess and not cussing her or her shitty husband out). For some reason she liked me and found me on Facebook, where she proceeded to tag me in 500 pictures as Joey Wheeler and her friends as other anime characters.
Tangents aside, those parents never paid attention to their kids at cons or other events (a while later I stepped out for a smoke and found one of the babies, now able to walk, outside alone in the parking lot of a Japanese-themed arcade at 1 in the morning-- this is a shady af area of Las Vegas too-- a lot of locals were staying overnight inside the arcade for a lock-in). Shitty parents. I brought the kid in and told the parents to get a sitter or go the fuck home.
I've heard they've had CPS called on them, but I've also seen them recently with the kids. Typical, jobless bums that go to every local event they can with their untamed, unsupervised rugrats.
What everyone has said so far, basically. If kids are old enough to enjoy it and well supervised I don't see a problem with it. The problem is that a lot of the time they're not well supervised, so maybe cons need to get stricter on parents whose kids are a nuisance.
That said, I do think any kid not old enough to sit still and quiet for half an hour + should be banned from panels/events that aren't aimed at them.
If you're bringing a kid to a con, that kid is your first concern.
In general I've seen most parents are pretty good about it and it's always really nice to see a family that cosplays and is having a good time together.
I've seen some cosplayers manhandle children like props sometimes. I think a while back there was a Takashi cosplayers (from Big Hero 6) at a con and he found a mom and small kid dressed like the aunt and Hiro. That Takashi cosplayer took a few photos and started parading around with the kid? I don't know if the lady knew him personally but she trailed behind with a really anxious expression and eventually took her kid back and parted ways after a big crowd had cooed for their photos. It was just really bizarre to watch.
Well my insomnia has fully kicked in despite taking my meds for it so I'll weigh in as well. I think any one under 5 should be no where NEAR a con. And parents with 5 and up should keep in mind their kids limits. Cons aren't a cheap alternative to Disney or another amusement park. Many are in no way geared for kids. And to me there's a different between being open to kids and being family friendly?
I'm the anon who posted about the weeb parent bringing her infant to both Pax and Anime Boston. Keeping the brat up for ages and she is now a pretty listless kid. Of which also I'm pretty sure is developmentally behind because her parents are morons.
What I think it is is many of these parents never grew up themselves, nor had guidance from their own parents. I'mm call Weeb parent T here. T's mom legit had it in her head T getting preggers and having a baby would snap her out of her weebness. When it didn't she just kicked her out. So T now gets SSI for being a bump on the log and pours it all into cosplay/cons living with the bf in his 'rents basement. Just today she posted a picture of her with JackSpecticeye and her screaming infant, whose wearing Carpenter ear muffs. While you know she's smiling like a blithering idiot. Never mind that her child needed noise cancelling ear muffs to be at Pax and just face slammed by a backpack because it's crowded.
>>8978268
>If you're bringing a kid to a con, that kid is your first concern.
I feel like some parents miss the mark hard on that in general.
I'm a parent with a toddler. I have taken him to a couple cons. Local enough and usually just did one day, mostly people watching, etc... If I was more of a panel person or was doing gaming/heavier displays. There's be no way I'd have taken him. Generally I tried to make sure I picked the right cons to take him too. I try to pick my battles carefully.
I only took him since he was a calm enough kid not to bother anybody, didn't really cry much, just generally well behaved. The next con though, I'm getting a baby sitter because he's hit that stage where he's gotten louder, will throw tantrums, and just be well, an annoying toddler. Hell the little shit will just rag doll while I hold his hand if he doesn't want to walk a certain way. Can you imagine that in a con hallway? It's annoying enough when a toddler does it in a grocery store or a restaurant. A con? No thanks. He'll be staying home until he's old enough to behave and out of the tantrum and screech stage. He'll probably enjoy cons more when he can start saying more characters name besides spiderman and pick his favorite one.
As others said, it's no problem if the child enjoys the convention and the parents take responsibility to look after their child. For really crowded cons, I'd leave young kids at home. Too much risk of them getting lost, and children hate being pushed up against strangers and barely being able to move. Not to mention the loud noises and horrible hygiene from attendees they'd encouter.
Parents also need to know that cosplayers aren't there to entertain their drooling spawn. 2 cons in my area attract a lot of (admittedly very normie) parents with kids and it angers me to see how some of these people treat cosplayers. Recently saw an Elsa cosplayer who was browsing a booth being dragged away by some obese mom, who shoved a baby into her arms and then wanted all 6 of her kids to have an individual picture with Elsa. All without ever asking if the cosplayer was okay with this. Poor girl was visibly uncomfortable while holding the baby.
I mean, why would you willingly shove your baby into the hands of a stranger who probably has never held a baby before or whose costume might not even allow them to hold your baby safely? For that matter, why bring a baby to a convention at all? Leave the poor child at home and come back when it's old enough to actually enjoy the convention.
Babies 0-3 shouldnt be allowed to enter public buildings period. Public outdoor spaces are totally fine though. If you cant afford a sitter, you cant afford the 18 years of financial slavery that is having a child.
>>8978281
Lots of cons have discount kid passes on Sunday (including PAX East the year I went) and are perfectly fine events for kids. The infant stage is pretty easy for a con, comparatively, since they aren't mobile and they sleep a lot. Age 1.5-4 is when it's hardest, but it's do-able especially if you tag team.
I think another element that parents should keep in mind is that kids are old enough to know what they do and do not want a lot younger than they realize. So listen to them. If they don't want to go to the con, don't force them. Yes, kids can be annoying, fickle fucks that tempestuously change their mind at the drop of a hat, and that does make planning things hard, but have back up plans, and don't force your kid to be somewhere they don't want to be. They're just going to act up and be difficult if they seriously don't want to be there.
>>8978525
Jesus does anyone read anymore? Anon clearly stated miserable child was miserable. And lol no, Pax isn't a Perfectly fine event for kids. The fuck you on about. This year even had a no stroller rule because of crowding issues. Kids under 5 should be home ain't the convention'setup fault one got knocked up. Go to Chuckie Cheese for family friendly.
>>8978525
Are you a moron or just desperate to justify your poor behavior? PAX is notoriously one of the worst places for kids because of the sheer noise level and sensory overload. Of course PAX is also overrun with normies so you get a lot of clueless parents who will drag their kids around with noise-canceling headphones on their heads to stave off the inevitable meltdown for as long as they can.
I've posted this before, but this is my favorite story about parents who refuse to stop behaving like irresponsible weebs after they have children:
>Woman posts in the hotelshare forum of a very large con:
>"Looking for roomshare for me, my husband, my 1 year old, and my infant. Must have bed and room for crib! Baby sleeps for the entire night I SWEAR!"
>"Also I can't pay, but I can bring up to $50 of chips and snacks for the whole room :D :D"
>Shocker of shocks, four days pass with no reply
>Woman bumps her post with a mini-freak out, berating people for not offering her space, and now her con will be RUINED!1! without somewhere to crash, thanks for nothing!"
>>8978748
Truth there, I think with cons being more mainstream many parents see it as a cheaper Disneyland. Thus expect the same quality of service.
Had this one kid in dealer's just start throwing anything he could get his hands on. The dad just picked up this screaming hellspawn and casually went about looking at merchandise. While the mom attempted ducking the booth owner if there was any damage.
I think any kid under 5 shouldn't be taken to a con, especially those that are too young to be vaccinated, considering that there's always that one person who shows up to a con sick.
Like others have said, parents who bring their kids to con have to realize that their kids are their first priority. They can't just do whatever they want while their child is there. No, you can't come into this 18+ panel while you have your 5 year old with you. No, con staff will not watch your kid while you're in there.
I myself usually avoid young kids like the plague at cons. I find them extremely annoying and loud - and I have to dodge adults who do that as well, I'd prefer people not adding on to that with a mini version that can't control its bowels. Bring them if you want when they're old enough but I feel that rambunctious children should be kicked out just like rambunctious adults. Teach your child some fucking manners.
Also, if you're coming in a group with someone please please please leave your damn child at home.
Leave it with your bf, your husband, your gf, your wife, your mother, your dog, your goldfish - I don't care but don't bring it with you. More often than not, you'll want some free daycare and your friends don't wanna deal with that. I came to have fun, not deal with your crotch spawn screaming while we try to watch Ghibli movies in the viewing room.
>>8977892
Depends on how mature they are, but I like having kids around most of the time, it keeps the crazy people from being too lewd, at least where I've gone
>>8977892
There's a time and a place for kids at events.
For example, Dragoncon is notorious for drinking, partying, and general debauchery...but if you go to the parade on Saturday morning the streets are lined with hundreds of kids in Halloween costumes and their parents who come for the day. Nothing like being hungover, standing in 90+ degree heat, while there's a massive line for photos with you like you're a princess at a Disney park.
It's one of the best parts of the convention, arguably, but if there's a kid inside one of the hotels late at night it's like seeing an alien species and I don't understand how anyone could put their kids through that.
I also was a nanny for a while, and one of the girls I was in charge of was really into anime so her parents paid me to have her tag along with me for a couple hours at a cosplay event so she could see what it was like. I picked the con and made sure to sit the parents down and explain to them what exactly she was getting into and what other events in the area they should take her to.
Depends on the kid and depends on the parent. I don't think kids should be barred from conventions in general, but I do feel like parents should have more sense of whether their kids can handle it or not, and act accordingly.
If you've got a little kid in a pram all day, they're going to get bored. Don't drag them to the convention for eight hours of panels. That's not fair to them. It really, really is not good parenting.
It all depends on the kid, the parent(s), and the convention itself.
Some dumb broad was posting about wanting to bring her NEWBORN to AX. That is a no by all means. The con is one of the largest cons in the west, there are shit tons of crowds and it is just not a generally child-friendly place, let alone a place for a fucking newborn who can't even get vaccinations.
OP here, thanks for all of the answers so far! I was actually inspired by >>8978281 's post and the several posts I've seen about kids.
My opinion is pretty much the same as most of the one's posted. I think it depends on the age. The younger the child, the more likely you should find someone to watch them if you plan on going to a con. I also think that the child should be the priority if you do take them.
I'll add a few more prompts, I probably should have originally:
>What do you think of kids cosplaying?
>If you're a parent, what do you do about your kids when you go to cons?
>If you're not a parent but plan to have children in the future, will you take your kids to cons?
>>8978748
I don't have kids. Believe it or not, being fine with kids at cons is not actually limited to other parents. "Sensory overload"? Are you kidding? "Kids" doesn't just mean toddlers or autistic six year olds who can't handle any noise.
>>8979298
I spy someone who's never been to PAX.
>>8977892
It really depends on the kid I suppose. My two boys are currently 3 and 4 and this will be their 2nd colossalcon. Mind you, there is a huge water park and lots to do other than the con. But they love the con itself and dressing up. Some kids can handle it and some really can't. Mind you, any con that isn't Colossal we usually get someone to watch them since they would get bored.
>>8979283
>What do you think of kids cosplaying?
If the kid wants to do it, sure! Nothing looks more sad then a kid being paraded around as some character they don't know, at an event they don't want to be at, just so their parents can use them as a prop. At the same time, the kid I talked about here >>8978202 was estatic to be a Ninja Turtle, and to be there in general. It depends on the kid.
>If you're not a parent but plan to have children in the future, will you take your kids to cons?
When they're really young, no. My parents would schedule a weekend every couple of months where my grandparents would watch us for the weekend, and they would go into NYC (we lived in NJ), catch a show or two, go to a nice restaraunt, and stay at a hotel. I'm pretty sure cons will be my version of that.
But when they're old enough, I would guess 7-8 would be the age where I might be able to start taking them to stuff like Comicon. It depends on how they are. While nurture is a big part of it, nature plays a role too. I've seen parents of friends where 3 kids are nice and calm, and then one kid ended up being a little shit (not the last child, the 3rd child). Did they mess up? Did they have something to do with it? Probably, but nature is a part of it.
>>8979283
>What do you think of kids cosplaying?
Like the other anon said, I think it's awesome as long as the kid is an active participant and not forced by parents. I've seen parents force their kids to enter contests because they know the cute factor will win them awards,.
I often do cosplay groups with a family with kids, and it's really fun to see the kids get into it and sometimes they have more fun than we do. All of the family friends are all really careful of what we do/say/wear around the kids, too, and I make sure to not bring my skimpiest costumes to conventions I know I'm going to see them at.
>If you're not a parent but plan to have children in the future, will you take your kids to cons?
I will, but not until they're old enough to understand the environment and enjoy themselves, which could be a wide age range depending on their personality.
Big trips are much harder with younger kids and it would be a hard decision to take them out of school and break routine so mom/dad can drag them to a convention for 3-4 days straight, which is what a lot of the bad con parents you see around events must be doing so they can spend the whole weekend there. If they ask and they want it to be their vacation-- it's a different story in that case. I would take them to day events and test the waters first.
I really don't think babies should be at conventions. Bad idea. Babies are just...so much, and a convention environment must be a lot for a baby to take in as well. Just wait until the kids are a certain age, and until then either skip out on cons or find a baby sitter.
However, whatever people end up doing, if you bring your kids to to a con, those kids are your responsibility and should be your first priority. I mean, you should feel free to enjoy yourself at a con but there's plenty of parents who just kinda bring their kids to cons because they (the parents) wanted to go, and they just couldn't find someone to watch their kids that day/weekend. This means keeping your kid with you at all times, making sure they behave, and stopping to take breaks with them as needed. The biggest thing is that kids need to be taken care of, and so when you're at a con you can't simply just be thinking of yourself, you need to be thinking about them too. Parents like >>8978257 shouldn't be allowed to bring their kids to cons because they're strictly worrying only about what they want to do rather than properly watching their children.
I dunno about a particular age limit since kids are different, but perhaps it'd be good for cons to have a recommended age. Like I said, each child is different at different ages, so I would hope that adults know their kids enough to understand what age is a good time for them to be able to come to a con and have fun and enjoy themselves. Sort of like how I think it's pointless to take children of certain ages to sporting events (such as babies).
All that said, I think it's cool seeing families all cosplaying and having fun together at cons. I love seeing kids interact with characters they like - definitely puts a smile on my face.
>>8978257
What the fuck, did they he ever tell you why he thought it was appropriate to basically leave their baby with a stranger? Did he think the people in AA worked for a the con or something? They're obviously pretty shit parents, but it just boggles the mind that some dude would just park his stroller/baby next to an AA table and walk off without a word.
Kids under 4 shouldn't be there. Parents should stay home or find a sitter. The kid probably won't remember it at all, its crowded, its germy, the kid could get lost in a crowd, it's hard to maneuver a stroller in crowded/narrow areas...
Kids 5+, depending on their maturity/behavior, could definitely get something out of a convention and have a lot of fun at it. It's something where you try it out little by little and see how the kid is. You don't plan something huge like SDCC or DragonCon as the kid's first convention. The kid has to come first, too - it's really sad to see parents keeping their kid out partying with them at 1-2am and the kid is obviously exhausted/cranky.
I'm just not a fan of infants at conventions. One of the last conventions I went to, it seemed like every panel I went to had a crying baby in it. I couldn't hear the guest at all, and the parents made no effort to take the baby out of the room to try and get it to stop crying.
>>8979236
Someone I know wants to bring her 4 month old baby to AX and it scares me to hell since downtown la is literally crawling with homeless people, drug dealers all around, and a lot of criminal activities to an extreme. Plus like you said, AX is a heavily crowded con and bringing children to such a noisy, packed, and huge place is just dangerous since children can get lost in the matter of seconds when you don't pay attention.
I have taken care of children before and took my eyes off a toddler for less than 2 seconds and have them disappear on me at a family friendly park, lucky the kid just walked away to play with another nearby child but at a con, I can just imagine how awful it would be to lose a child since people are constantly moving and coming in and out. Anyone would be able to steal that child if you lost it and then it would just cause the con and con goers a huge mess because someone couldn't watch their kid.
I did make the mistake of bringing my son to a con when he was like 2-3. He absolutely hated being in costume and went sour when we went to check out the cosplay contest. I learned my lesson.
Now that he's 9, we've cosplayed a couple of times. I try to keep it to father/son cosplays if we're both going to be there. He's absolutely my first priority, as it should be with any parent.
>>8979680
Downtown LA is pretty safe? There are sketchy parts of LA, but the area around the convention center isn't of them.
So anon with PAX parent story here.
I am actually really considering calling CS again on her at this point. A video was posted of them all just overstimulating her. Patting the area she's on all at the same time. And as as they cooed at her she just became more and more unresponsive. She's 6 and a half months old and just barely according to weeb parent pulled herself up. She's not crawled or anything yet. That combined with getting face slammed by a backpack makes me worry she's getting worse off than just having morons for parents
As for the questions. I don't mind when kids cosplay. I saw the happiest 6 or 7 year old Trunks at AB and even got his picture. He was the happiest little bugger ever and excitedly posed. I think around that age it's perfectly fine. He can make up his mind to wear that costume and now pushed toward it
I don't plan on children myself. But if I had them I'd likely do meetup long before cons. And cons would be Sundays only for a time. So I'd not be bringing unruly kids on the high days. I see many responsible parents do that. Like they just skip the con's high traffic and sensory overload.
I think if your child can decide for themselves that they want to go to a con and are fully able to understand boundaries, then they should be allowed to go to a con. However, it is still 100% the parents responsibility to make sure they don't behave like shitheads and just take them home it they obviously can't handle it. Also, cons should have the power to ask parents to leave if their kids are misbehaving, without fear of seeming like bad guys.
>>8979785
I just have to say that pic is super cute
Is that you and your son?
>>8979924
Maybe during cons or big events, a lot of the homeless and other sketchy activities go somewhere else but I am a local there and on a daily bases, there is always homeless people and sketchy people around. Maybe because I live there and walk around the area, I know the way the area rolls.
Boyfriend ans I took our son (8 months at the time) to a LOCAL con. Small, and I could go home whenever. Didn't stay long since nothing was going on that I really cared for and I had other priorities that weekend. Also didn't go Sunday cuz I had to work. Had a nice family time together.
People bring kids to that con all the time because it's small and nearby where they live.
As long as you take care of your kid, worry about them first and their stuff later, you're fine to bring your kids. Granted if they can't behave they're better left at home with other family or a sitter, and not all kids under five or so (or even under one) can behave. My son is pretty mild mannered but not all kids that young are
I've actually roomed with someone who brought their kid sister (About age 6 or 7) along for the convention since the parents were both not available to watch the child. Her sister was pretty excited about going to the convention and getting to dress up as a Disney princess and get their picture taken.
But the older sister was the worst babysitter, she would consistently neglect the kid while she was shopping around dealers and artists, to the point where she forgot to buy food for the kid and we ended up having to share our meals with the little sister. The girl would yell at her younger sister whenever the kid wanted to rest or get drink/food. She wasn't bothered by this at all which concerns me that the older sister probably does this on a daily basis.
Called the mom the next day to tell her about the incident, she just said that she'll scold the older sister.
>TL;DR: Shit babysitter, kid was probably being abused. Don't bring kids into the convention if you can't take care of them.
>>8980080
>She's 6 and a half months old and just barely according to weeb parent pulled herself up. She's not crawled or anything yet.
Totally normal, but they sound like shit parents anyways.
Did you post about these people before by any chance? I remember something about parents just leaving the baby on the floor and never interacting with it. And a dirty basement apartment. Sounded pretty upsetting.
Anyway.
I'm going to be taking a 12 month old to a con next month. I'm a little nervous, but I plan on taking it easy and mostly hang out. Aside from one event I have a ticket for (where her dad will be watching her) I'm not set on anything particular and I'd rather not have her sit through panels or anything like that. Will probably babywear so the stroller doesn't take up room (she likes it better anyways) and take her back to the hotel room for nap time.
I think this is the kind of thing that is 100% dependent on the parent and baby. Some kids will fare terribly at ten years. Some will do fabulous at ten months. The issue here being that parents often act neglectful and selfish, and are too ignorant to admit this. As long as you keep your child comfy by giving them a time when they give cues that they need it, your con will go smoothly. That said, some cons are better candidates for this than others.
Hell, I know someone whose baby was 2 and a half weeks when she took her to a con. She was part of the committee though, so she went around doing staff stuff. The baby was strapped to her chest all weekend, which frankly is the nicest place for a newborn to be, so it's not like it made much of a difference. I would have been too scared of con funk at that age though.
>>8978268
>mom dressed as Aunt Cass and the kid was Hiro
That's adorable
>>8979298
Anon, sensory overload is a very common thing. Especially with children. Too much loud noise is not good for them developmentally, let alone anyone. It can overwhelm them which leads to an epic meltdown. You may be fine with children being at PAX, but factually, it is not healthy to have such young children in such a loud enviornment. It is the equivalent to putting your baby in a woodshop noise-wise. It will stress them out and can damage their hearing.
Children under five really should not be in such a place, especially if they are an infant. If you can afford a con for a day or two then you can afford a sitter for that long as well.
>>8979785
>that beard
Pretty cute and I liked how its styled.
Love family cosplay. Have you've done Pancham/Pangoro?
>>8979298
>I don't have kids
>Totally thinks a huge con like PAX is suitable for a kid
I still remember in 2005 when I saw some boy scouts perusing the hentai section of one dealer's booth while their parents were chating. I kept trying to explain that they shouldn't be looking at that stuff, but they assured me that they weren't going to hurt anything. Thankfully after a minute or two they figured out what I was talking about... shit people, if you bring kids to a convention, watch them.
>>8980673
I didn't but someone else mighta they host events and are well known for being a shit couple. And I dunno all my siblings were scooting along on the floor by 6 months? Like this baby just seems exhausted 24/7 Plus after she got face slammed someone asked weeb mom if she took her to medical. She claimed she looked her over. But seeing how they were in line for the youtubers already and she still got her baby screaming with Jack peeking over looking pretty uncomfortable pic. I have to wonder how long she took the time to check her.
>>8980851
yikes. Found the thread cause it was bugging me: https://archive.rebeccablacktech.com/cgl/thread/S8730010#p8735827 pretty infamous if that's also them.
And yeah many kids will probably be doing something but there is a huge range of what is normal. I was surprised myself. Mine started crawling at four months (utter fucking chaos) but she's taking her time to learn how to stand. There's a kid in our playgroup who lies there like a potato and he's eight months, another who sits and stands perfectly but cannot crawl at six months, and another who walks at ten months. you just never know. That's not to defend their shitty parenting cause the other stuff sounds concerning.
>>8980886
>https://archive.rebeccablacktech.com/cgl/thread/S8730010#p8735827
Sounds like them alright. I've been in skype calls where he berates her for holding the baby wrong. So I can't imagine how jostled she was at PAX.
It really doesn't help it's pretty common knowledge the baby exists to keep him with her. He was cheating on her the majority of their relationship. And she still views any other females near him as competition.
I'd just be less worried if any of the interactions I'd had with her had been her bright eyed and active.
>>8980705
My next plan is to make some badass samurai armor and do Samurott/Oshawott.
>>8980191
Thanks! That's us, yeah. We also did Uncle Sensei/Markman for MAGfest last year.
I think it depends on the child and how attentive the parents are. The types of parents that don't supervise closely shouldn't take their kids to cons. The types of kids that have regular melt-downs or are hard to control shouldn't be at cons.
I actually plan on taking my baby to my next con. He'll be over a year old at that point. I know I can keep him safe, I'm very attentive, and he's vaccinated. My biggest concern is how well he'll sleep in a hotel room, but he's also going on vacation with me before that, so it won't be his first time sleeping in a strange place. I don't really do panels, so no worries that he'll interrupt anyone. If he gets overwhelmed, I can retreat to the hotel room. But I don't think that's likely, he's been in crowds before and liked it. He enjoys lots of people and activity, he's a people-watcher.
If he weren't well-behaved, weren't healthy, or were afraid of strangers, I wouldn't even consider taking him. He's an easy baby. I don't use a stroller, I wear a carrier and carry him on my chest. If anything changes and it seems unsafe or terrible to take him, I'll sit the con out. If he has a terrible time, I'll take him home. But it honestly doesn't seem like it'll be a huge deal. It will probably be more difficult when he's 2-4, toddlers are harder than babies because they are more mobile and know too much.
As for cosplay, I'm cosplaying from Wakfu, so I'll probably slap a cozy hat on him and make him a lazy eliotrope. Should be easy enough.
There's one family that has taken their kid to MAGfest since the year he was born, he's like five or something now, and he's always really happy and well-behaved when I see him. I have yet to see a badly behaved kid at a con.
>>8980886
Mine just started crawling a few weeks ago at 7 months, but has been trying to stand/walk since 3 months. His balance is starting to get really good, I think he'll be walking soon. I was walking at 9 months, my father was walking at 7 months.
He also really took his time sitting, because he didn't want to sit, he wanted to stand. He'd try to get his legs under him.
I've learned the hard way that it's best not to compare babies too much, they can vary so wildly in their development. I saw a baby recently that had many teeth, could goddamn walk, but couldn't get to a standing position on his own.
>>8979210
>I don't think kids should be barred from conventions in general,
I feel that children under 5 should be barred/banned. Or that all cons should have their own rules regarding children and age limits...
>but I do feel like parents should have more sense of whether their kids can handle it or not, and act accordingly.
...because of this very reason.
The parents who actually care about their own children's feelings and use common sense aren't the ones who are dragging their 4 month old babies around events like PAX. I think cons should have certain rules (even going as far as barring them) when if comes to babies and small children because it's not the good parents you have to worry about, it's the idiots and shit parents that ruin things for their kids and for other con goers.
>>8982826
Speaking the straight truth. You'd think PAX having an absolute no stroller rule would cue folks in on Not really family friendly.
But no, always some moron thinks their crotchspawn is exempt and a special little turd blossom. I'm just waiting for a kid to get in huge trouble and all cons start cracking down on regular attendees.
I think the biggest issue is many of the normal fag parents treat cons like a trip to Disneyworld. It's cheaper and it's simply just got to have the same amount of precautions set up.
>>8982835
>I think the biggest issue is many of the normal fag parents treat cons like a trip to Disneyworld. It's cheaper and it's simply just got to have the same amount of precautions set up.
Those parents are the fucking worst. Especially when they let their kids wander around and do whatever. I've heard so many horror stories about kids dirtying up a costume/breaking props because their parents just let them do whatever
>>8979283
I'll probably take my future kids to cons. Spouse and I travel up to Sakuracon every year, so I don't see why I wouldn't take my kids. If they get too rowdy, I'll leave them with my in laws in Seattle and go back to the con.
Seeing kids at cons doesn't bother me until it hits about 8pm. Then you need to be packing up and leaving.
Also, stop bringing toddlers to formal dances. They don't understand. It's not their fault, they're just not old enough to get it.
Also, I'll definitely dress them up, but once they hit 5 or so, I'll give them the option. No sense in forcing a kid to wear something they don't want to.
This is exactly how my parents raised me around comic and sci-fi cons in the early 90s, and it didn't fuck me up.
I'm fine with kids at cons until the cons decide to start censoring cosplays to make the con more "family friendly".
Or venue security takes it upon themselves to censor costumes "for the children".
>>8984160
This. If you didn't want your kids potentially seeing skimpy cosplays don't go to a fucking convention. It's like going to the beach and getting offended when you see a big boobed girl showing off her tits in a bikini
How autistic do you have to be?
Conventions are meant for children and adults. That'd be like saying, "Children shouldn't be allowed at McDonalds because it's where I frequent."
Same goes for young children and babies - how ignorant do you have to be to plausibly, rationally think it's okay for parents to be barred from bringing their infants?
That all being said, there's somethings you shouldn't do with your kids, like going to Q&A panels where they could be disruptive or bring them to areas where keeping them safe from the ebbing tide of weaboos accidentally knocking a stroller or something .
Rather proud of /cgl/'s maternal instincts / common sense. Good on y'all.
>>8984881
There are conventions that aren't family friendly, anon.
>>8984881
>calling people autistic
>comparing packed anime conventions with upwards of 1000+ people, some who are more than eager to push and shove people to get to where they need to, to a fucking fast food joint that most people don't even eat inside of when they could make it easy on themselves and get drive-through
>>8984881
If you actually read the thread most anons are saying it depends on the child/not to bring infants that are too young for vaccinations.
I think it's okay to bring your kids if you're okay with going home/back to your hotel room when your kid gets tired or cranky or whatever and accepting that you might not be able to do whatever you want while your kid is there. So I think it depends on the parent and the child.
I feel like while a lot of parents are pretty attentive to kids, there are still quite a few that don't need to bring their kids because they don't want to watch them. I've seen at least one parent try to bring her young son (maybe 7 or 8) into an 18+ panel and it took the panel hosts telling her to her face that he couldn't be in there before she would leave. Or the time that a friend of mine got his prop broken because some kid whose parent wasn't watching him just grabbed it, not it was hooked into his belt.
If you're just going to let your kid run around because you want to wander off and go do shit don't bring your kids with you. Leave them with grandma or whoever.
I guess I must live in a very inclusive area then. I've been bringing my three kids since I was still pregnant with them, and the staff and patrons adore them. Who doesn't love ity bity nerdlets dressed up as pokemon? I've had people come up and ask for pictures with them because they're just so enthusiastic and enjoy meeting new people. We're planning a family Sonic the Hedgehog cosplay, with dad as Eggman, me as Rouge, and the kids as Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails. They haven't stopped bugging me about their costumes since I took them fabric shopping.
I guess it's all in how you present it. I don't take them to cons to be props. I take them to introduce them to the community that I loved growing up in.
>>8987208
I think that's awesome.
I also think that many of these posts arise from concerns where anons have seen a cranky or tired baby and parents that seem not to give a shit about their well-being. I'm assuming that when you take your kids to cons, you pay attention to when they're tired, hungry, thirsty, or just moody, and give them a break as needed. Unfortunately, not every convention parent seems to be mature enough for that. That, and you also get the parents that like to foist responsibility off on staff/other attendees, kind of like when you're in a store and shitty parents expect you to keep an eye on their kids.
And lastly, what anons are saying here is just a small sample of con-goers. They can voice their thoughts here, but wouldn't say anything to you at the con. Ultimately though, you seem level-headed and you know what's best for your kids so if everything has gone great for you so far, these kinds of threads shouldn't alienate you.
>>8987208
If the kids are into it, then I is fine. If you read the thread, that is the general consensus.
>Be at 18+ con
>Someone brings their kids
>This gets complained about on the forum
>Turns out parents were friends of the committee
>Kid's parents explode with passive-aggressiveness at people daring to be unhappy at their darlings being at an adult-only con
>People start complaining that it's one rule for the committee's friends, one for everyone else
If a con is 18+, make sure it's 18+, don't allow kids in as special favors.
Anyone have a screenshot from a security anon, who saved a baby at a con? Shitty parents left it locked in their car on a hot day whilst they went into the dealer's room. Anon had to smash the window to get it out and call an ambulance. The parents lost their shit at him.
Think they got arrested.
>Do you think kids should be permitted at cons? Or do you think it depends on the con?
Children at cons in general doesn't bother me as an overall thing, but I just see so many parents who actually don't care enough to watch their children that it just makes me very frustrated and more apt to want to ban kids from cons. For some reason, I almost always see children in the exhibitor space alone, or with parents who don't seem to watch them at all. Playing with artist's merchandise, tearing things apart, sticking products in their mouth, running around and running into displays... the list can go on. I've seen a TON of temper tantrums because kids are in a loud, crowded area and want to run around with a foam sword that they haven't purchased, or want that handmade plushie for $30 that mom says no to. Kids often just grab merchandise they want anyway, and sometimes damage products, and of course the parent is appalled when you ask them to pay for the damaged item. I have at least one major incident each con where a child is damaging my products and the parent never apologizes or pays for what the child damages. So overall, yes, kids are okay, but realistically, I don't think it makes the cons any better for anyone going.
>>8987325
How old were the kids? If they were an infant it's not a big deal but if they brought along any kid older than say 3 that can comprehend what adults around them are talking about, then yeah, that's kinda bullshit.
I just avoid and ignore anyone dragging children around. especially normie fuckwits clogging the con floor with their children and strollers and shit
Kids at cons is borderline child-abuse if they are too young and i can't deal with some snot-nosed little fuck getting near me in public at the best of time, never mind when I'm suited up in a cosplay or trying to enjoy an event.
I suppose the bottom line is i don't like idiotic parents treating the place like a cheap disneyland with no concern for anyone else.
>>8977892
I'd be worried to bring any kid under 10. Some cons are so crowded it's easy to lose them, and cons are hotbeds for illness to spread. People are sometimes so determined to attend they'll go even if they're infectious. Just last year I remember there was a con in Sydney where some people in the cosplay community had caught gastroenteritis but still went anyway. They managed to pass it on to a few other people as a result.
>>8977892
I think it's fine if kids come to a convention for cartoons and video games where people wear costumes. Shocking I know.
The whole argument over who a con is supposed to be for, it was never for kids vs adults. Cons were born by comic collectors, grown by people who BOUGHT shit and spent money at a show to get stuff they couldn't find at a local store. People who invested time and money into collecting something.
I don't mind kids at cons because they usually bring parents and as a result actually buy stuff from vendors. You know what kind of "kids" are actually ruining cons? You BROKE AF cosplay clique grunts who barely have a dollar to your name who post Go-fund-Me pages begging for ticket money, scrounging rides off people, and spend 10 hours at the show with 75 cents in your pocket. You're a fucking BUM in a costume.
~nuff said.
>>8982826
Well, cons where I live are a lot more family friendly than the ones I've been to in the USA. For one thing, they're not attached to hotels, so room parties and drunken participants aren't exactly the norm. They're also not as loud, for some reason. And I don't mean individuals. You still get obnoxious weabs. But the actual conventions are split apart a bit more neatly, but not as sprawling. I'm not sure how else to explain it.
Regardless, people with prams are still a pain, but the atmosphere is a lot less intense than what you're describing.
And yeah. Dragging a kid (who probably is bored as fuck) along for 8+ hours at a convention is just cruel.
I have three nephews and one niece, between the ages of 2 and 10. The ten year old would probably be okay at a convention because he's pretty chill and into Star Wars and video games. The 2 and 7 year old, I wouldn't take to a convention even if they were older, because they're just not the kind of kids who would be into any of that. The 5 year old, if I took him without his sister (because she eggs him on)... Probably could manage for a couple of hours of actual fun because he loves superheroes and Dragonball. Beyond that, he'd probably be sooky, cranky, and want to leave, so I wouldn't exactly be springing for a three day pass with him in tow.
People who can't judge their own kids' personalities on these things, when I can judge the personalities of four kids I only rarely babysit, kind of baffle me. It doesn't take a genius to know how they'll respond to it.
... then again, I guess those kinds of parents are just selfish shits, anyway.
