KIDS TO BUFFETT??

[nikitobuffet]

Hello
Ok i want some opinions. I have been to 8 or more buffett concerts and now i really want to go again since hes not been around here in 4 years. SO now i want to go but we have to go 2 hours to see him and since my mom left for aruba today we have no sitter. My KIDS LOVE buffett and they are 6 4 and 2 so what do you guys think? You think we can take them and sit in the lawn...not like in the middle but on the outskirts or pavillion??
thanks so much

[aeroparrot]

It's up to you. Some people have brought their children, however, given their ages, I would think twice before deciding. As you know with the tailgating and the concert, there may be things that your kids MAY be exposed to that you normally wouldn't want them to be exposed to. If you're ok with that, then if you want, then you should think about it.

[East Texas Parrothead]

I raised ABQKeet on Buffett, but didn't take him to a show until he was a little older. It's a long day for the little ones.

[Coconuts]

Do you really want to wrangle three kids under six in a standing crowd of 20,000 people, half of whom are too drunk to notice if they step on your kids?

[C-Dawg]

I want to take my 9 year old niece to see Jimmy, but when Hannah asked when I could take her, my younger brother replied when one of you finally grows up......my bet is on Hannah

[Tropic_Al]

We started bringing our keet when she was 9 and always had pavillion seats. My opinion is they are little young yet.

[Dezdmona]

We took MJM to his first Buffett show when he was 6, he's 10 now and just saw his 5th.
He looks forward to Buffett coming to town all year long just like we do.

[CindaBee]

Aww, the older I get, the older I think the keets should be. Would probably consider taking my 14 year old grandkeet, but not the 16 year old. The 19 year old isn't interested. Did start my own keets when they were in their teens and boy did they get eyesful!

[z-man]

with little ones that age, I would recommend saving the money you would spend on tickets for them and hiring a babysitter. Either hire someone to watch them at home, or bring a sitter along and have her/him watch the little ones sleep in the car while you are in the concert (and if you hire someone over 16, you will have a designated driver to help you get home! )

[nikitobuffet]

Thanks. I think we are going to skip it just so my 2 year old doesn't get trampled even though we would stay away from the middle of the party . If we had a sitter I would take my 6 and 4 year old . I know they might see some craziness but I turn those into learning experience. I miss Buffett it's been 4 years and I think it's like a vacation . Buffett is not just a guy or music but a state of mind where I'd like to be. Thanks for the replies.

[Migration Michelle]

Really, down in the front of the Pavilion is the only place to have kids.
I'm not sure the lawn is a wise idea.

I took my 10 year old to a small show of only 600 people and although she loves Jimmy and knew all the words,
she was exhausted by the end and I was sober!

I'm with Z-Man...whatever the cost of the babysitter is worth it!

[NCphan]

I will toss in my 2 cents as we took our two boys to the Charlotte show this year. They are 8 and 5. Our 8 yr. old, whose name is Cameron (guess where we got that!?!) had actually been to an inside show in tha past and our 5 year old had been asking to go. Since we were going to the 'adults only' show in Raleigh two days and had been to Wakiki, we decided to take them.

We didn't do any traditional tailgating, but decorated the truck with the fin and tail. Grabbed some food on the way in and at on the tailgate. The boys dressed up for the show and had a lot of people ask is they could take their pictures. They even got a picture with Nadirah, which was great. Had grass seats and went in when the gates opened to get a spot on the front of the grass in front of a video screen. The kids got a little bored waiting, but once the show started, they loved it. We kind of had a 'wall' of friends around them to keep in case things got rowdy.

Only issue was two young, way drunk, and apparently 'free love' couples moving next to us towards the end of the first set. After some group kisses and a brief glimpse of upper body nudity, security fixed that in a hurry and they were gone. Luckily, the kids didn't see any of it. On the plus side, the hightlight was them on the railing during 'Fins' and NOT having to tell them how to do it. A proud moment for me!!

Overall, we are glad we took them and would do it again, but probably would get reserved seats the next time around. Sure Jimmy slips with a curse word here and there, but they didn't notice any of it.

[Frank4]

I am glad someone started this thread, I had been thinking about when would be a good age to start taking Little Frank to JB and I now think I'll hold off until he's about 10 or so.....

[ColdWaterConch]

Took our 13 yo daughter and 8 yo son to the Chicago concert last year...what a mistake. While my son liked the tailgating, my daughter was appalled by the drunk people. Worse yet, two guys got into a fight 5' from us during the concert, necessitating 10 cops to come over and break it up, dragging one of them away in handcuffs, which caused my daughter to freak. If that wasn't enough, a friggin child molester in front of us kept taking pics of my son, requiring another confrontation forcing him to delete all the pics from his phone.

YMMV.

[FINSUPinIdaho]

2 and 4? Take them to The Wiggles. I have a 2 and 4 yo and they do not belong near a Buffett concert, where people want to cut loose and have a good "adult" time without having to watch their P's and Q's in front of a kid.

[ParrotHeadInThe Making]

I would take the cost of the tickets for the kids and use the money for the baby-sitter.

If I had kids I would use a similar philosophy that I have for my guide dog when deciding if I am going to take her places. I don't take the guide dog to concerts of any kind, because I would have all my attention on the dog making sure that she does not scrounge for dropped napkins, food, paper, ETC. Plus, I would have to be watching her and trying to keep people from stepping on her. Sammie dog is safest back at a quiet hotel room or at home.

If I had kids I would use a similar idea and maybe consider taking the kids when they are 10 or 12, but only if they really wanted to go. For me a Buffett show is adult time, and adult time is when I cut loose without any responsibilities for a few hours.