To think that this mom was Museuming all Wrong?

[ChaosTrulyReigns]

Was at a Science Museum this afternoon bored as feck, been there done that and was on the gift shop gritting my teeth and managing expectations when I observed a little tableau of another family's life and was pleasantly surprised to be able to knot my Judgy control pants .

A little girl pestered Mom for a completely inappropriate toy, Darling Ranunculus was probably 35 months. Mom immediately agreed and went to buy the meccano jeep.

Mom and happy child then proceeded to buy tickets for the museum.

AIBU to think all the seasoned parents know to visit the gift shop after the museum purely for purposes of behaviour management and persuasion?

Should I have given her the beenifts of my copious parenting experience? Aka been a meddling middle aged Harridan?

Oiright there @AlpacaLypse, think I'm on my third notsofarking smart phone since those old days!

Her child knows there is a gift shop??? So wrong.

Brizzle, I’m a bit sad you clarified that 😂 I was wondering what an inappropriate ethnic origin was... I’m sure I’m of one...

laughs up sleeve at rank amateur parenting fail. I bet she hadn't even got mini Tupperware boxes of home made suitable snacks either, probably went to the cafe and bought their overpriced tut. Never mind. She'll learn.

@blackamerican
What kind of hedonistic malarkey??
A SOFT TOY??

It seems there's some advocadoing for gift shop first you fruitcakes.

Meh, whatever gets you through the day, till gin time.

If it works for you, embrace it by the short and curlers.

^^best parenting advice ever given to me!

Short and CURLIES obvs

Take it from someone with a lot of experience (and training*): Gift Shop FIRST.

Rules: Set budget, and specify acceptable size of item (as you will have to carry it around). Books are always fine. It's ok not to buy anything, it's not mandatory. (Pocket money will be given instead, for use elsewhere.)

This way you ensure that time spent in the museum/touristy attraction is spent looking at the art/displays/whatever-you-came-to-see rather than whingeing about "when are we going to the gift shop?".

*Training: I actually did a tourism training thing that suggested gift shop FIRST was a good idea. Have done it ever since, where practical.

(Don't forget that money spent on plastic tat and/or meccano jeeps in the sodding gift shop helps support our heritage, etc etc.)

I'm another gift shop first advocate. Especially at the zoo. It saves the "when can we go to the gift shop?" questions. Also, if you go to the shop when it's only just open, it's quiet, there's no queue and you're not exhausted and snarling "Just PICK something so we can go home".

Noooo. My second child, having been told that all gift shops were closed/did not exist/only opened during a full moon if it coincided with the first wednesday of the month etc went with a friend to a museum. Said ‘friend’s parents not only took my child to the gift shop, but gave him and their son £15 each to spend...with no caveat...and he bought a soft toy with terrifyingly large eyes. Disaster.

NormHonal hmm, not suggesting you might be a shill for Big GiftShop, or that there is any self-interest in your pushing for an up-front gift shop visit but I’m a tad suspicious about this so-called training* you speak of.

See, in my experience (untrained*) having allowed the little honeybunches to sample the wonders of the gift shop in advance of the museum experience (before I learned the hard way natch) I always found that this would invite lobbying for a second giftshop visit to get Something Else on the grounds they’d already chewed the eraser off the crappy pencil AND snapped it in two (whilst attempting to maim their sibling with it) before we’d reached the very first set of exhibits.

I had a v v smug friend. She used to go to the gift shop first. Choose postcards of the exhibits and then set off with Seth and Archer to find them.
Indeed.

AJPTaylor I’d be interested to know where you buried her body?

maybe the little girl wanted to get it for her brother.

Turns out I can still spot a Chaos thread at 20 paces Wotcha, Chaos.

As an adult, I revel in going to the gift shop before and after. Living the high life.

In the museum of flight you have to go through the dam gift shop to get to the Concorde. It’s weird not being frazzled and hot in a gift shop. I tried on a silk scarf with RAF planes on it and carried it about with a key ring of a soldiers helmet.

Took a moment even when I was presented with a £5 bouncy ball which was the only thing Ds wanted, to put everything back and snap “enough”.

Thankfully the cafe is immediately after the Concorde so you can make up again over tea and scones (not unreasonably priced) and allow little Childers to promise to behave for the rest of the day to get the £5 bouncy ball.

Ace museum designed by a sadist.

Completely derailing, but I just googled ranunculus and completely fell in love with them, especially the coral pink ones, so thank you... off to the gardening shop tomorrow...

Haha. Rookie mumma. She'll learn 🤣
Having navigated raising my own five little horrors, I take a sadistic pleasure in watching them now with my little GC. They tell me in horrified tones what the little cherubs have put them through that day and I tsk and nod sadly, and say things like "ooh little bugger, that must've been a nightmare "
Then I go home and laugh and laugh. 🤣
I'm such a bitch honestly but I can't help feeling that the GC (who are adorable, just normal little monsters) are vicariously giving me vengeance.
My only advice to my kids who are now parenting is "we do not negotiate with terrorists ". They're learning!!

Grand parenthood is definitely the most satisfying revenge ever.

P.S I'm not a complete cow, I take the littlies on weekends overnight so my AC get a break to go out or whatever. I never had any help when mine were kids, so I do muck in

It depends on how you bribe. A hypothetical treat didn't used to work on my dd. I used to have to buy the treat and let her see it and then say "if your a good girl you get to keep it, if not I'll have to take it back".

Oh God the postcards mother almost made me feel inadequate. Had to give myself a (metaphorical) slap! Have somewhat cringeworthy memories of dragging DD & her friend around an Art gallery (to be fair just to look at 3 or 4 paintings) before visiting Build A Bear. Friend refused to look at anything or budge from her seat.

Have to say that ‘terminal’ gift shop visits have tended to be a bit fraught.

DH got the rage at Disney Paris when practically every ride ended in a gift shop!

Oh & on a bit of a derail I did have a literal Ranunculus but sadly it died maybe due to heavy clay soil?