to be thoroughly [hmm] at the security guards at the O2 (dome)?

[NotQuiteCockney]

Outside the O2, there are three lovely fountains which are just on the pavement - no edges on them at all.

We visited it randomly on Friday, with a group of toddlers, and got told that:

1. Children are not allowed to ride bikes or scooters outside the O2. (It wasn't crowded! We weren't indoors!)
2. Children are not allowed to play in the fountains (how on earth are parents meant to stop them?)
3. Children are meant to wear clothes. (whoops!)

All sounds perfectly reasonable to me.

sounds like they're doing a bang up job of dealing with people who won't control their kids.

yes with thebod none of those thigs sound hard or unreasonable

The kids were having fun. They were doing no harm at all.

scooting and biking, since when was that 'not controlling your children'

Well, quite. And we're not talking about 10-year-olds - the oldest kid on a scooter or (pedalless) bike was 3. So - not very dangerous. Not about to knock anyone over. Not even running into people.

I could see their point about the nudity, kinda. I mean, it wasn't harming anyone, but naked kids aren't really normal in the UK, from what I see.

I bet the fountain thing has been since Princess Diana and the people slipping over in it.

"scooting and biking, since when was that 'not controlling your children'
"

when it's done in area that such activities are not allowed.

There are no signs saying any of these things aren't allowed. No indication at all. And yeah, we stopped them once we knew.

Yeah, I expect the slipping thing is the issue. The fountain didn't seem slippy at all. Well, some kids slipped, a bit, but they weren't bothered at all.

They were very wet, though.

The fountains thing seems a bit OTT - children ARE allowed in the pavement fountains on the South Bank. ds loved them!

Well, quite - we love those fountains, and these ones are better tbh. And they really are pavement fountains, no boundaries around them at all. One makes a sort of (cold) mist. One is big and warm. One is just a jet. All of them were very popular.

NQC your last post says it all "some kids slipped". YABU. Too many people sue these days. Security staff were doing a good job.

This is the problem with the privatization of public space. All these places seem public, but in fact you're only there on licence (usually on the understanding that you will be spending money - tho I know not in this case.)

It seems trivial, but our rights are being eroded when, instead of making new public spaces, local government sell off land to business, on the understanding that there will be (limited) public access. For example, try exercising your right to assemble and you will be bundled away sharpish.

I totally know what you mean obm, I hate the growing prevalence of private "public" space. Canary Wharf is a prime example, although I've not had problems with their security guards.

(We did spend money at the dome, to be fair - we had lunch there. But of course we weren't actually spending money while the kids were nakedly scootering through the fountains.)