How old is too young?

JH6056 said:

Get_Right said:

JH6056 said:

Get_Right said:

This thread is funny.  There are no right or wrong answers and nobody has the right to say what is right or wrong for another persons child.
At the end of the day, if you are a good parent, exposure to the "bad" things that are common at rock concerts is not going to turn your child into a drug addict, prostitute or criminal. Unless you take them to insane clown posse.  Then you deserve whatever you get.

Crap!  [Jumps online to see if I got ticket insurance and can cancel 6 tickets to Insane Clown Posse]  [Also wondering if 5 yr olds I was going to take will slash my tires for cancelling]

LOL and dump cotton candy flavored Faygo all over your new ride

I just can't believe I believed the 5 yr olds when they told me ICP was kids' music and that singing about killing your parents was the theme on Sesame Street this week... 

Kids these days are soooooo smart!

AfghanTwilight said:

At Tom Petty last week, I remarked how the show would have been a great one to bring kids to (lawn seats). Sound wasn't very loud, crowd was tame--but man people don't really seem to care how evil cigarettes are.

Yup, I have mild cigarette/weed smoke allergies.  Saw Radiohead some months ago at indoor arena and coughed for literally 2 weeks afterwards.  It's legal (but nasty for those who don't like it) to smoke outdoors... but per HughFreakinDillon's point, it's not even legal to smoke anything indoors in the US anymore (in most states anyway).  I view it as a predictable and necessary evil (and no, I don't get security when people smoke near me, although if they are right next to me I absolutely tell them about my allergy and ask them to have mercy, which they almost always do).

But yeah, it's nasty stuff and it is ironic that someone would say what What Dreams did above about kids ruining a show for someone because they won't feel comfy smoking weed in front of kids, when that weed/cigarette smoke is NEVER contained, floats everywhere, and affects everyone around you -sometimes really for the worse like me.  Still, I know it's possible/likely, and if it's a band that apparently has a huge weed-smoking contingent like Radiohead, I know I gotta just balance my desire to see them with my desire to not end up at urgent care the next day.  Praying for outdoor shows next time Radiohead tours... (and NO, I didn't bring my kid.  I knew it would probably be smoky, just didn't know how bad).  But still, how hypocritical to say "Don't bring your kid, it crushes my weed vibe" when actually, your weed smoking may be crushing the breathing vibes of way way more people than the # who even noticed that a kid is there. 

HughFreakingDillon said:

what dreams said:

HughFreakingDillon said:

what dreams said:

HughFreakingDillon said:

mace1229 said:

I don't get half the comments in this thread.
first, the repeated notion of "why would you let what others think dictate what you do?" Well that's called common courtesy. I'm assuming anyone who says that is the guy holding the annoying banner blocking the view of 20 people behind him for half the show. Taking into consideration how others feel is the basics behind common courtesy, so I don't know why that is treated like a bad thing.

that being said, who has ever been bothered by a kid at a show? Never even occurred to me that anyone could be bothered by a kid until I read some comments. My first though when I see a kid at a show or game is "dang it, now I'm going to look like a dick if I reach over their head to grab a foul ball or t-shirt," but that's about the extent of it.
what age is too young is up to the parents. Personally for me probably not under 12 for PJ. I know very few kids 7 or 8 who are into their own music that isn't going to make me wish hateful things on the band. And so I just don't see the point of spending that money. 
Each parent should decide their own filter. I don't get the criticism about that. I personally probably wouldn't want to expose my kids to everything that entails a Pj show until 10 or 12. And just because what said on the playground is worse than anything on TV doesn't mean I'm going to put on Game of Thrones for them. I'll still censor when I can until they are older.

my kid is not blocking your view. my kid is sitting there with her headphones on, bopping her head to the music. if that ruins your time, then yes, that is your problem, not anyone else's. 

i have yet to hear one single solitary reason why my kid being at a show effects your time. not one. 

One reason: Total buzz kill. As a parent, you may be cool with your child watching me smoke pot. I'm not cool smoking pot in front of children. It would definitely affect my high, and please don't tell me not to light up because that would really, really annoy me even more.

now this is rich: you don't want my kid there to ruin your time, but it's because you want to do something illegal and that has the potential to bother many people around you, but no one's allowed to tell you not to light up if it's ruining their time?

I smoke weed. But I don't smoke weed at indoor shows anymore as I understand how bothersome it can be to people around me. not to mention running the risk of getting kicked out of the show. 

Oh, I'm sure there will be people who tell me what I can and cannot do everywhere and anywhere . . . Isn't what this whole thread is about? Someone asked for an opinion on what to do regarding a child. If the acceptable answer to the parent is "whatever floats your boat, daddy" then I expect the same respect. It floats my boat to smoke weed at concerts. Sorry that bothers anybody, but sitting next to your kid bothers me. I can't very well ask you not to bring your child, can I?  In fact, I haven't. My consistent position is just that I hope I never sit next to one, as well as hoping I don't sit near the pot police either. Sorry not everyone is in love with your child. I know that's hard to believe as a parent, but maybe you can work on letting that sink in.

jesus. who the fuck ever said anything about being in love with my child? what a bizarre thing to say. 

blowing weed smoke in someone's face is not respect. I don't do it. it's pretty fucking rude to expect others to just be ok with it. another human being that happens to be younger than you doens't make you cough or possibly induce an allergic reaction. it's selfish. 

i'm not leaving my kid at home because you hate kids after 5pm. 

Didn't ask you to. You have me confused with someone else.

PJ_Soul said:

HughFreakingDillon said:

what dreams said:

I like to socialize with my peers at concerts. Five year olds are not my peers. I don't understand people who think they are. I hope I'm never seated next to a five year old. I won't think it's cute, and I sure as hell won't refrain from lighting a joint right next to that child. I believe I read a post in this thread with a parent saying she/he calls security on the pot smokers? Holy Batmobile. Please tell me I misunderstood that.

i've never done it, nor would I. but it's fucking illegal. how can you blame someone for calling security about someone doing something illegal?

Because that's super fucking lame and would cause the smoker to suffer unfair/unbalanced consequences if someone did call security over. Especially considering there are hundreds if not thousands of people there doing it and not getting ratted out by a bad neighbor. Anyone who would call security about someone smoking weed at a rock concert is a huge asshole. That said, I'm pretty sure the person in question said they'd call security if someone next to them was smoking METH, not weed. Big difference, lol.

Wow, I said above that I don't go get security but I do have cigarette/weed/smoke allergies and it DOES ACTUALLY AFFECT MY HEALTH when people smoke near me at shows.  That said, I assume it's a necessary evil (more common and evil for some bands than others) but still, how can you have such a righteous attitude about something that, in the end, is actually illegal and does actually affect everyone around you?  

Some around you may not care; others around you may not like it but not be affected; while others around you may get sick from it, either on the spot or later.  What is so much more valuable about you and your desire to do something illegal at a show than the rights of everyone around you to enjoy the show without being affected - literally affected, by breathing in your smoke - by your weed smoking?

PJ_Soul said:

HughFreakingDillon said:

what dreams said:

I like to socialize with my peers at concerts. Five year olds are not my peers. I don't understand people who think they are. I hope I'm never seated next to a five year old. I won't think it's cute, and I sure as hell won't refrain from lighting a joint right next to that child. I believe I read a post in this thread with a parent saying she/he calls security on the pot smokers? Holy Batmobile. Please tell me I misunderstood that.

i've never done it, nor would I. but it's fucking illegal. how can you blame someone for calling security about someone doing something illegal?

Because that's super fucking lame and would cause the smoker to suffer unfair/unbalanced consequences if someone did call security over. Especially considering there are hundreds if not thousands of people there doing it and not getting ratted out by a bad neighbor. Anyone who would call security about someone smoking weed at a rock concert is a huge asshole. That said, I'm pretty sure the person in question said they'd call security if someone next to them was smoking METH, not weed. Big difference, lol.

I could care less about the legality of weed.  But if the smoke was a major distraction I would ask the person to put it away.  If they weren't courteous enough to listen than I don't what other choice you would have besides speaking to an usher. 

PJ_Soul said:

No, because weed doesn't make you insane and meth does. Doing meth or shooting heroin or smoking crack during a rock concert isn't appropriate because it fucks up the user too much and even has the potential to make them dangerous to be around or puts them at risk of ODing there. Weed, on the other hand, has no consequences like that.

Are you saying that if someone smoked a bowl near your wife in a huge arena, she would stop breathing?? How does she navigate the sidewalk? People do still smoke on the streets.

I don't have asthma but I do have allergies and smoke absolutely affects me.  You don't see the hypocrisy in looking down on the use of one illegal substance in an enclosed setting (indoors) but because you enjoy the use of another substance that is illegal to use in the same setting, you see it as "appropriate" in your case even if it has actual health effects on others around you?  The fact that his wife might breathe in smoke on the street is a passing thing, whereas a concert can be as much as 2-4+ hours of music and that is a long damn time to be breathing in that smoke that you can't keep to yourself.

Maybe I've been to laissez-faire about smoke at shows, because if I'd known this was how entitled smokers felt to do something that they have no way of keeping to themselves and that has - where I've underestimated how much smoke there will be - made me to go urgent care, I might have called security a few times just to bite down on the attitude!  How about when you find a way to smoke in public without it going into the air around you, then we can talk about you having just as much a right to do it?  But until you can keep it to yourself, maybe don't do it in public places where it's forbidden since some part of you seems to agree that actual health and safety impacts on others should be  considered?

JH6056 said:

PJ_Soul said:

No, because weed doesn't make you insane and meth does. Doing meth or shooting heroin or smoking crack during a rock concert isn't appropriate because it fucks up the user too much and even has the potential to make them dangerous to be around or puts them at risk of ODing there. Weed, on the other hand, has no consequences like that.

Are you saying that if someone smoked a bowl near your wife in a huge arena, she would stop breathing?? How does she navigate the sidewalk? People do still smoke on the streets.

I don't have asthma but I do have allergies and smoke absolutely affects me.  You don't see the hypocrisy in looking down on the use of one illegal substance in an enclosed setting (indoors) but because you enjoy the use of another substance that is illegal to use in the same setting, you see it as "appropriate" in your case even if it has actual health effects on others around you?  The fact that his wife might breathe in smoke on the street is a passing thing, whereas a concert can be as much as 2-4+ hours of music and that is a long damn time to be breathing in that smoke that you can't keep to yourself.

Maybe I've been to laissez-faire about smoke at shows, because if I'd known this was how entitled smokers felt to do something that they have no way of keeping to themselves and that has - where I've underestimated how much smoke there will be - made me to go urgent care, I might have called security a few times just to bite down on the attitude!  How about when you find a way to smoke in public without it going into the air around you, then we can talk about you having just as much a right to do it?  But until you can keep it to yourself, maybe don't do it in public places where it's forbidden since some part of you seems to agree that actual health and safety impacts on others should be  considered?

I never ever smoke weed at concerts. I haven't for many, many years. Even back in the day I rarely did because I was afraid security would spot me and kick me out. Is there a reason you decided that I'm a public pot smoker and all entitled and hypocritical? Do you just assume that whoever defends it does it?

It's equally bizarre to say in one post, "it's okay to expose 5 year olds to drinking and drugs because sharing Pearl Jam brings so much joy and there's drugs everywhere in my city" but then in the next post say "Don't smoke pot at a Pearl Jam show because you're choking me and my child." Which is it?

I'm saying basically the same thing. Bring your damn child if you want to. Just don't bring it near me. How I respond to your child doesn't have to make sense to you any more than your bringing the kid has to make sense to me. 

Peaceful co-existence hopefully occurs in a very large arena for everybody. So far, I've been fortunate and will hope my good luck continues.

My very best wishes to you as you create your special memories because someday you will die and you will be glad to have bonded over the one thing that can bring you and your kid together.