When you need to queue for something with your children, do you expect them to stand with you, or do you think it's acceptable if you queue for them?

[tigermoth]

I was wondering this as I queued up with some parents and children last week. We were queueing up for autographs from the England Cricket team. The wait was about an hour.

Some parents were in the queue merely to reserve the position for their children (age approx 8 - 15) while they did other fun cricket activities nearby (within sight of parents).

Other parents had their children standing right by them for the duration.

I did a bit of both with my ds and his friend (both aged 14). They were in the queue for much of the time, as I needed to wander off, but sometimes I stood in for them while they wandered off. I did not want any autographs so none of the waiting was for my benefit.

So what's the mumsnet etiquette here? There are so many instances where queues are common - theme parks, cinemas, ice cream vans - do you/should you on principle make your children queue in line with you?

Depends entirely on the age of the child and duration of the queue.

I think if it doesn't affect the people behind you (if they think there is only one person ahead of them and suddenly five kids emerge!) then only one person need actually hold the line in the queue.

I seem to spend a lot of my life queuing, and don't make DS stand there with me if he can sit somewhere I can see him, but he is only 5.

I think in this case what you have described is perfectly acceptable. I would do this also with adult friends or family. An hour's queuing is just too long.

Don't know. By making the boys queue continually I'd have felt a bit anal, but by allowing them to wander off now and then, I felt a bit lax and wondered if the queueing families were tut-tutting me.

I doubt they where tut tutting at you!

sometimes DS insists on queuing with me, so they might not have all been forcing their children to stay in the line the whole time, so children might have just wanted to.

oh, how I long for a ds who insists on queuing

Message withdrawn

I don't think I'd queue to get something for a teenager to be honest. There's no reason why they can't, atfter all, nobody likes to queue do they?