to not understand why so many local parents didn't take their children to the o/para/lympics?

[LongStory]

So the Olympic park is fairly local to me, I'm not a massive sports fan but this is a once-in-a-lifetime something special. I took the kids to a few events especially at the paralympics where it was easier to get tickets. They didn't cost much and in fact most of them only cost £1.40 if you deduct the cost of a child's travelcard.

I had to be a bit organised - buy the tickets, book days off work, sort out/swap childcare for the children who were too young, pack lunches for the day, get up early etc etc. It wasn't rocket science and it didn't cost a fortune. Cheaper than a trip to the movies.

Now we're back to school I'm amazed that lots of seemingly on-the-ball parents haven't bothered to do this, with no clear reason, or no regret. I don't understand (a) why so many didn't, and (b) why this makes me soooo cross.

JumpingThroughMoreHoops the tube for the moring sittings were not packed at all we had a jolly ride up everyone on yhe train burst into song

And to our delight were in row 6 right next to the flame it was very roomy and my child loved it mouth was open the whole time

I think the once-in-a-lifetime thing is a bit of a red herring tbh. Whilst it will be for many people a 'once in a lifetime' thing, if you have no interest in the olympics/sport generally, then why would you care?

I have no interest, for example, in Star Trek. If you told me that for one day only, ever, once in a lifetime, all the members of the enterprise will be in Hyde Park complete with props/costumes etc etc, all the things Trekkies love, would I go because it's 'once in a lifetime'? No, because I couldn't give a shit.

You took packed lunches? But people weren't allowed to take food or drink into the olympic park.

RuleBritannia, the view in the Stadium was fantastic and we were up in the gods, same for the other venues as well.

I can understand lot of people dont like sport and it was expensive but mostly my friends just couldnt be bothered with the organisation and booking tickets in advance. Especially for the paralympics, I know very few people who didnt get what they wanted in the ballot for that last year, you just had to apply early. The Olympics ballot was a different matter.

yes you were quangle - as long as the bag fitted under your seat, you couldnt take drink in but a packed lunch was fine.

because we couldn't get tickets.
went to street events, though.

Couldn't get any tickets, couldn't really afford it.

Bugger! We spent a fortune on food and drink that day. Wish i had realised you could take packed lunch!

My husband's fault. He told me food wasn't allowed!

Because when we had money available there were no tickets and when there were tickets available we had no money.

Because the stupid original allocation lottery put me right off the whole thing.

Because I didn't want to be trapped in an environment that I wasn't allowed to take my own food and drink into, and that was sponsored by two of the most unhealthy food/drink providers in history.

Because I didn't think my DS would enjoy the experience.

Because I'm really not that keen on sport.

Enough reasons?

everyone on yhe train burst into song

Hell on earth

jumping

I tend to try and take the dc to stuff that I dont enjoy as much just because I dont want to influence them one way or another. I hate playing board games and the like and taking them to the library but do it anyway. Isnt this what people mean by Once in a Lifetime - even though you arent fussed, they might be enthused and inspired by it?

Couldn't get tickets.

I got some tickets to the paras, after spending ages looking for tickets I got lucky one evening. And thanks to a tip on here I looked on the national rail games tickets. I travelled at 7.30 in the morning on a commuter train with 3 small children for£3.25 for a single from brighton. Well done national rail for making it affordable to get th ere. It was so worth it even though boy 1 did his best to run away at all the worst moments.

QuangleWangleQuee yes you were we took packed lunches to :)

It was fab they had lods to look at in the park really fun day out

We went to see the women's football bronze medal match at Coventry. I am disabled, so we only had to pay for 3 tickets because a carer goes free, but the day cost in excess of £150, by the time food and transport were added on. We were fortunate to be able to afford it and enjoyed the day immensely.

I should imagine that, at this time of year, when people have to buy new uniforms and the like not many people have free money.

I feel sorry for the people who would have loved to,have gone but couldn't afford it, or have another reason beyond their control as to why they couldnn't go. Tickets weren't easy to come by. You just had to look at the multiple threads on here to see that!

I understand why not everyone went, but I don't understand people who haven't got behind Team GB, or the team from their own countries.

The whole thing has been amazing, I'm sure my children will remember this summer when they look back on their childhoods over any other.

There were plenty of ways to be touched by the Olympics and Paralympics even without tickets if you live anywhere near London, and even if you didn't through the torch relay.

"Emotional reaction"? I find that very odd. why would you react emotionally to people not being interested in something you are interested in?

I managed to get tickets to the Olympics and the Paralympics and many of the families I know went to the Paralympics as I only live about an hour away from the Olympic Stadium. I would never think to ask why people didn't go, in fact I find it really odd that it bothers you if people went or not.

"I don't understand people who haven't got behind Team GB"
It's really quite simple.
We are not interested in sport.
HTH.

KarlosKK that's what I'm trying to understand! Probably just feeling sorry for my kids' friends who really wanted to go but their parents couldn't be bothered taking them.

I never seriously got the Team GB thing, though - loved the international aspect of it all, supported all the countries I've lived in or visited. .