to expect peopel NOT to take preschoolers to secondary open days

[FluffyMummy123]

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But you do see both parents present in some cases, quite a few, actually.

It isn't always easy to leave them. When I had an 11yr old I also had a baby and a toddler. I always managed to find someone to babysit but it was a struggle on some occasions. Secondary schools don't help by having meetings at most difficult times!
The infant meetings were brilliant being held at 8pm with time to get them to bed and a babysitter, the juniors were slightly more difficult with 7.30 but the secondary runs parent's evenings from 4.30-6pm which is a nightmare if you have under 5's at home! Once when I was really stuck they offered to get a couple of 6th formers to mind them but I managed to find someone at the last minute.

and some parents are utterly oblivous to the poor behaviour of their kids.

I well remember sitting in an induction meeting, lots of the parents let their kids charge up and down the aisles and at the back of the hall when the teachers were passing on information. And these were 11 year olds about to start in Year 7. Sitiing still wasn't beyond most of them!

But the parents didn't care.

It was the year from hell.

they are in year 11 now, not so cute when your 16 year old nt child still doesn't behave

why are you going to a secondary school open day Lapin? WHY?

If the school clearly states that no children are allowed, then children should not b e allowed.

infant / pre-schoolers banned from juniors open day

I have no babysitters

so couldnt go

so couldnt hand in music forms on the day

so DS2 missed out on rum lessons as was first come forst served

was well pissed off tbh

drum lessons

rum lessons for me if he ever gets a palce and I have to cope with the noise

Younger siblings were allowed at the one I went to last week. My mate had to take their 6yr old, and I did see a few other younger children there too, but during the speech they were all very quiet.

' 1 in 4 families in this country is headed by a lone parent. So 25% of parents cannot leave the child at home with the other parent,'

or even there is a dh and he works nights like mine and cant get time off

(tere was an I agree missing there- sorry- V annoyng ds3 climbing on me)

I have to say that DS2 was well behaved and yes, he would have had a talking to/or taken out if not.

Quite Peachy. I should have said at least 25% can't leave their kids at home.
There are all sorts of reasons why it's impossible to find childcare.

How the children behave once they get there, is a separate issue and should not be conflated with the one of inclusion.

To exclude the children of people who can't find childcare from music lessons, is simply piss-poor. There's just no excuse for it. If you have a first come, first served rule and then you ensure that a large percentage of children are in no position to be first come, you are deliberately excluding them. Call me a stroppy bitch, but I'd complain about that.

Good point Peachy. I was lucky that my mum had my younger two, else I'd have taken them all with me, and a bored and tired Ds woldn't of been pleasant for anyone.

Me too LB. Always astonished at how certain everyone is on these threads.

One does the best one can, but I imagine that, sometimes, dumping 2 toddlers on another family is just not possible. There might be something else coming up, and the one who doesn't have rellies/is lone parent/has dp who works 24/7 might feel that she just can't impose on her friend, again.

At which point, I'd probably think, ach onebat, don't be silly - all of these people at the school meeting have had children, they're not going to suddenly turn into sour-faced, judgmental prigs overnight, are they? Of course not! And I'd take the toddlers, because it would be either that, or let the older child down by not attending the meeting.

I took BabyDragon to one on Friday.

I had no choice.

Well, I guess I could have simply not shown an interest in choosing the right school for DS1 and just pick one at random.

We have loads at our open evenigs and parents evenings all the time

It's never been a problem, in fact it's quite intersting to see whole family tbh, I like seeing them all

"I beg and borrow favours from friends over things like this, and pay them back when they are in the same situation.

It isn't rocket science, "

Hmm, well given that all the friends I would have begged favours from were at the same meeting it would have been a challenge. Getting people in 2 places at the same time is beyond even rocket science.

I don't even have any friends

well I do, 3- one lives 60 miles away, one has 5 kids of her won and the other is at the meetings anyhow as she is governor

Mum'll take the lot once a year, others in dribs and drabs but again 60 mile drive

More the merrier imo

SoupDragon - your last paragraph - my friends were at the same meeting as myself also.

I managed to palm BabyDragon off on a friend for the private school open day only to discover they had a creche and I needn't have bothered. That's one favour wasted and I have very little scope for paying them back!

Perhaps, where there are two parents, both would like to go and have a recce at the school? I'm wondering what we will do for our local school's open evening in October, since DH, being the very involved dad he is, would like to pass his judgement on the big scary place too.

I dunno.

Wilf - that is exactly why both DH and I wanted to go

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And my mum's pissed off to France for a year and all my local friends will either be at the same open evening or are baby-phobic.