Mum guilt after taking son to a concert

[Confusedpige0n]

I took my 11 year old son to see McFly vs Busted. He loved every second of it, About 30 minutes to the end of the 2 1/2 hour concert i suddenly thought I should have given him ear plugs to wear. It never crossed my mind to take them for him. I’m now feeling like the worst parent in the world and that I’ve damaged his hearing. I can’t believe I didn’t even think of it, perimenopause brain has me forgetting all sorts lately but this is unforgivable and I feel absolutely awful that I could have caused irreparable damage. Has anyone taken their children to concerts and they’ve been fine? I’ve wound myself up so much since we came home that I’ve been sick and can’t sleep I’m wracked with guilt about how irresponsible I’ve been.

I’ve been looking at Loop ear plugs today as they do kids ones too, glad to hear they are good. We were right at the front of the arena last night with the speakers over head. He didn’t complain of his ears ringing last night when I asked him - mine on the other hand were ringing for hours…. not sure if that’s a good or bad thing for him 🙄😬 Like others have said he’s not had repeated exposure to loud sounds, except for the incredibly loud fireworks the day before. I’d like to take him to more concerts/gigs so I think Loops look to be the way forward. Thanks ☺️

I take mine to lots of concerts and festivals. Only time we have asked for earplugs was when we have been trapped on the barrier at Reading as DS said his nostrils were vibrating from the bass. He’s fine and no damage done

Nobody would expect the damage from multiple moderate exposure to noise to show up straight away. But hearing aids are very good these days and will likely be more integrated in ear buds or whatever we have then by the time today’s noise exposed teens need them.

Nostrils vibrating 🤣🤣🤣🙈🙈🙈

Thanks all (well most 😉 ) some good, helpful advice about both of my problems! I feel far more relaxed tonight, well apart from my microwave blowing up 🙄🤣

Why would you wear earplugs to a concert? You would not hear the music? What’s the point if you are gong to do that.

You can wear ‘musician’s ear plugs’ that just make it a bit quieter/safer if it’s really loud. You can still hear the music as it’s meant to sound.

If it makes you feel any better, I took my dc to Glastonbury for years and never even considered ear plugs!
Ds was a baby in a sling, so really very young.
Both now adults with perfect hearing and very happy memories of 2 decades of going to gigs & festivals with Mum!

That’s great, and I really don’t think op has any need to worry in this case. But noise-induced hearing loss does exist among people who were exposed to a lot of loud music.
‘Loud noises can damage the cochlea (hearing organ), causing permanent hearing loss and tinnitus. Exposure to loud noise is the second biggest cause of hearing loss.
You might not notice the effects of noise-induced hearing loss until years after you were first exposed to loud noise.’
https://rnid.org.uk/information-and-support/hearing-loss/types-of-hearing-loss-and-deafness/noise-induced-hearing-loss/

Your kid had an absolute blast and made some great memories with you!
He would have felt like a right wally wearing ear plugs.

He'll be fine.

I went to MANY gigs, stood right by speakers, I played drums in tiny rooms, I played gigs...

Yes, I do have a tiny bit of tinnitus sometimes now, but my hearing is still good enough at 45 that I can hear the annoying high pitched 'mosquito' sounds that supposedly adults cannot hear. I can hear electrical noises in the house that my DP cannot hear.

Would i recommend ear plugs for drum practice and gigs now - yes, but a one off is really not an issue, its sustained, repeated exposure thats a big deal.

I wouldn’t worry. I saw a babe in arms without ear defenders at The Scissor Sisters and James

He will be fine. I've been to many concert since around the age of 10 and never occurred to me to wear any ear plugs. Not affected my hearing at all.

They are supposed to wear ear defenders? Who knew? Not me.

I think Alpine also make earplugs for kids. They are, like some other mentioned, quieting the sound without losing too many details.

It's great that you care for your child's hearing. Now that the event is over, you can't do anything about it anymore, and your kid seems fine; it looks like everything is ok now.
But if you plan on more events, you can get some for next time, because cumulative damage can happen. In my experience it also helps to have breaks in between loud events, if possible. So if you know that fireworks are happening because of a holiday or whatever, you can use ear defenders / ear plugs then, too.

I'd like to add to the argument mentioned on this thread, that kids will tell if it's too loud: kids might also think something is ok because their parent said it's ok or doesn't offer ear protection / ear defenders. This could be a reason why they don't say anything.
And often you only realize how loud something was when you get home after the event, not immediatly.

It also doesn't matter if other people are fine and went to hundreds of concerts. That's great for them but you won't know that beforehand, how many loud gigs / events are one too many. Everybody is different.

The better quality earplugs - not foam - are usually less than 20 euros and tinnitus and hearing loss can be massively annoying (and hearing aids could be very expensive in the future). Hearing loss can also influence what kind of job someone can do.

Not in this case, no. I save it for real issues. Thanks

Come on, get a sense of perspective. It’s one night at a pop concert. He’ll be fine

Get a grip!

My son went to a busted concert aged about 10 . Ear defenders were not even a thing then …he is 25 and his ears are fine!!

Could've been worse - Sabbath. That's wot did for my hearing.

He's 11 not a toddler. He enjoyed the concert - if it was loud and uncomfortable, he would have told you.

Tbh, I wouldn't have thought that those sorts of band would be particularly loud anyway. It's not like you had taken him to see Motorhead.

Unless you were positioned directly in front of the speakers I doubt one concert will cause permanent damage to his hearing

Except for the ones with tinnitus and hearing loss now.

The Op was fortunate that he was OK, but in future, just don't do it. A set of filters is a tiny cost compared to that of a couple of hearing aids. And it's not fun knowing that you'll never, ever hear blissful silence again when it could potentially have been avoided.

Obviously, not all tinnitus and hearing loss is due to exposure to loud sounds, but that's no reason to ignore the risk it does present.

When I was 9 I went to see Steps, when I was 12 I saw Will and Gareth, 14 I saw Busted… didn’t wear ear plugs at a single one and my hearing is fine. Relax.

After seeing Busted vs McFly myself a couple of weeks ago, I really thought your thread was going to be about all the language!

OP,one concert will have done no harm.

However, as a principle it is important to be cautious about loud noises. People when they are young can go to lots of loud concerts. And then when they are 30 or even 40 their hearing is fine and they think it has been no problem at all and they will be ok.

The problem is that this hearing damage can be cumulative and sneak up you. It can lead to hearing loss or tinnitus later in life which is almost impossible to reverse.

I feel sorry for bar and restaurant staff who are working in very loud environments these days with no soft furnishings to absorb the sounds. Restaurant noise can be surprisingly loud with all the banging and clattering. I did feel concerned for staff in one independent café I visited recently. The coffee machine was insanely loud and it was going on all the time. I would be very surprised if that did not cause some hearing damage to the poor baristas.

I feel that we don’t look after the health of our ears and have a pretty blasé attitude. So I understand your concern OP, but this one off concert will not have done any harm.