7 and 9 year old too Young for a Concert?

[SeattleParrotHead]

Took my 16 and my 4 year old to the Gulf Coast show last year. This video of the 2 of them dancing to Jimmy in the sand and the lil one doing fins on my shoulders are some of my best memories. Pure magic I'm telling you.

[spucketts]

7 and 9 aren't too young, the problem is way to many of the rest of us are too old......

HEY!

Oh there's a thin line between child-like and childish!

[luvinlife]

In past years we in New England have had 2 shows.....Nicholas got to go to the Thursday show Sat. was for the grown ups.....He is a very mad 9 year old at the moment.......maybe jimmy will come to mohegan?

[Wildh2oskier]

Took my 16 and my 4 year old to the Gulf Coast show last year. This video of the 2 of them dancing to Jimmy in the sand and the lil one doing fins on my shoulders are some of my best memories. Pure magic I'm telling you.

Side note: When the oldest was just learning to walk and sing she was performing her rendition of "Jesus loves me" for her grandparents. In the middle of the song it somehow morphed into "Cheese Burger in Paradise".
I guess I'm doing an ok job in raising them

[Lightning Bolt]

...and she was performing her rendition of "Jesus loves me" for her grandparents. In the middle of the song it somehow morphed into "Cheese Burger in Paradise".
I guess I'm doing an ok job in raising them

..not if her Grandpa is the pastor of the church.

[Wildh2oskier]

...and she was performing her rendition of "Jesus loves me" for her grandparents. In the middle of the song it somehow morphed into "Cheese Burger in Paradise".
I guess I'm doing an ok job in raising them

..not if her Grandpa is the pastor of the church.

He was just another old papermill worker. It was ok with him, she never did anything wrong in his eyes....now her daddy, that was a different story.

[WinchWench]

It depends on the kids, the parents, and the motivation for taking them. Dragging them along because mom and dad really want to go and can't find a baby sitter is a recipe for disaster but taking kids who are genuinely interested and excited about the music can be fantastic for everyone involved.

I was a lawn kid at Buffett shows at the Gorge in Washington and Shoreline in California starting at the age of 8 and didn't sustain any permanent physical, mental or emotional damage from the experience. I can honestly say that many of my best childhood memories are of road trips and concerts with my folks.

Now I have a kid of my own who loves music and is a budding rock star at the ripe old age of 10. He plays guitar and performs at local tiki bars and open mic nights. He loves Buffett, The Eagles, Bob Marley, etc. and when his friends listen to Miley Cyrus or Justin Bieber he says "That's not real music!" The other day he asked if it was possible to be a musician, fly airplanes, and act in movies when he grows up and I told him if Jimmy Buffett can do it, so can he. He's at that age where anything is still possible, so taking him to concerts is not only a great bonding experience but it's a way to encourage him to follow his dreams.

Sure, it's a different experience when you take a kid, but I can honestly say I have never regretted taking my kid with me to concerts. His first concert experience was when he was 2 years old and Bruce Hornsby played our local arts fest. Last year we saw The Eagles in Fort Lauderdale and just a few days ago in West Palm Beach I was finally able take him to see Buffett for the first time. The smile on my boy's face that night was worth every penny of the admission price and there's no doubt in my mind that taking him to the show was the right decision.

Here are a couple examples of what might happen if you expose your kids to music at an early age. I'll warn you though, the groupies start very young and boys pick up very quickly that playing music gets them lots of smiles from pretty girls.

[conched]

he's really cute and it's easy to see he loves what he's doing. Glad he got to see JB at WPB. How fun!

[WinchWench]

Thanks Nancy! Fletcher has his own facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fletcher- ... 2614258140 and quite the local fan club. He's already figured out that dedicating a song to a cute barmaid or waitress gets lots of attention too. Yeah, we're going to be in trouble in a few years when teenage hormones enter the picture.