Nikki Simmons on wed 10 oct 01
Hi Clayart,
With NCECA coming to Kansas City, a pleasant 2.5 drive from my house, I am
considering going this year. HOWEVER, I hang out with a group of potters,
and we are all in the same dilemma. We are mothers with YOUNG children,
that we are not able to leave for long periods of time. At least one of us
will have a newborn, the others are toddlers.
Would anyone call NCECA child-friendly or at least open to the possibility?
We all want to come, and at the very least we are going to try doing the
museum tours and visit the exhibitors and vendors. And I really want to see
Ron and John do the vinegar speech. Actually I want the others to see it,
they don't get Clayart and think I am crazy.
And this is an all or nothing deal, we either bring the kids or stay home
with the kids. I actually have more flexibility than the others, my mom or
dad is willing to come and be a "mother's helper". My other friends would
have to pay someone to help them. And asking my mom to watch all the kids
is out of the question.
We would appreciate any thoughts anyone has on this.
Sincerely,
Nikki Simmons
nsimmons@mid-mo.net
In central Missouri, near Jefferson City, the capital.
L. P. Skeen on wed 10 oct 01
Nikki, this is going to sound harsh, but at the risk of drawing fire, I'd
say you should wait til the kids are older and don't need a sitter. The
workshops can get crowded - many are SRO - and though I like children, they
are annoying as hell in crowd situations like that because they won't be
quiet so you can hear the speaker. Also, your stroller and etc. will take
up some of that SRO space and you will inevitably need to leave early for
some reason thus causing a disturbance. Many people take the opportunity of
such a conference to have a VACATION from kids, and they will not appreciate
you bringing yours. The Clayart Room itself is definitely an adult venue,
and last year IT was SRO. Another thing to consider is the possibility
(probability) that exhibits or even one of the conference venues would be in
another place outside the host hotel and you'd have to haul all that stuff
up onto a bus. It will be very difficult to carry posters, information,
samples, etc. when you're juggling bottles and diapers.
As an alternative, I suggest you call the hotel where the event will be held
and see if they have or can suggest a nearby daycare, or, all of you go and
trade out shifts of babysitting among yourselves and your mother. In the
future, I see it as a necessity not just for NCECA but for any conference of
any type to provide childcare services as part of the package offering for
anyone who needs it. When I went to the state Art Ed. conferences I met
several women who got there late or had to leave early and many don't come
at all because they don't have adequate childcare. I suggested then that
student members of the association be offered free admission to the
conference and workshops in exchange for working 2 shifts in a childcare
room . Don't know if that issue was addressed, but it should have been.....
----- Original Message -----
From: Nikki Simmons
Subject: NCECA with Kids
> Hi Clayart,
>
> With NCECA coming to Kansas City, a pleasant 2.5 drive from my house, I am
> considering going this year. HOWEVER, I hang out with a group of potters,
> and we are all in the same dilemma. We are mothers with YOUNG children,
> that we are not able to leave for long periods of time. At least one of us
> will have a newborn, the others are toddlers.
>
> Would anyone call NCECA child-friendly or at least open to the
possibility?
> We all want to come, and at the very least we are going to try doing the
> museum tours and visit the exhibitors and vendors
Millie Carpenter on thu 11 oct 01
Nikki,
you might want to consider calling the hotels involved and find out if they have a
bonded baby sitter available, a lot of the hotels provide a list of approved
sitters. then all you have to do is get someone to loan you the use of their room
for the day, depending on the ages and number of the kids you may need more than
one sitter.
everything is very crowded, and I think that if you had a nursing baby in a
snugli/front sling, if might be possible, he busses are more than crowded a
child in a stroller would be difficult to mannage on the sales floor is usually
crowded. but a child who would stay in a back pack for two hours might be okay,
the problem that would be uppermost in my mind, is that in the lecture/demo
areas, it is packed and a talking/crying/fidgeting child would be a disturbance.
I know that when my children were at the age that they would likely be a
disturbance to others I made arrangements for them to be cared for elsewhere, or
I didn't go. it is really hard to focus on childcare and watch a world class
potter or sculptor and take notes and pictures and give everything the time and
attention that it deserves.
Millie in MD in that wonderful age, my children are grown and I don't have
grandchildren yet. Free at last, if I cook enough meals and freeze them for my
husband to eat while I am gone.
Nikki Simmons wrote:
> Hi Clayart,
>
> With NCECA coming to Kansas City, a pleasant 2.5 drive from my house, I am
> considering going this year. HOWEVER, I hang out with a group of potters,
> and we are all in the same dilemma. We are mothers with YOUNG children,
> that we are not able to leave for long periods of time. At least one of us
> will have a newborn, the others are toddlers.
>
> Would anyone call NCECA child-friendly or at least open to the possibility?
> We all want to come, and at the very least we are going to try doing the
> museum tours and visit the exhibitors and vendors. And I really want to see
> Ron and John do the vinegar speech. Actually I want the others to see it,
> they don't get Clayart and think I am crazy.
>
> And this is an all or nothing deal, we either bring the kids or stay home
> with the kids. I actually have more flexibility than the others, my mom or
> dad is willing to come and be a "mother's helper". My other friends would
> have to pay someone to help them. And asking my mom to watch all the kids
> is out of the question.
>
> We would appreciate any thoughts anyone has on this.
> Sincerely,
> Nikki Simmons
> nsimmons@mid-mo.net
> In central Missouri, near Jefferson City, the capital.
Vicki Katz on thu 11 oct 01
I am a mother with grown children & I love kids. My opinion is that NCECA is
NOT a place to bring small children - especially toddlers. The crowds can be
HUGE & sometimes programs are standing room only & people must strain to
hear. You do not want to pay $150 for a 3 year old to attend a professional
conference. They won't get much out of it & if you are taking care of them -
you won't either. I suggest you leave the little ones at home where their
needs can easily be met.
Another alternative is to share a hotel room in the conference hotel & you
and you friends load all the little ones in there during the day & rotate the
child care.
Try to come to NCECA - if only for a day. It would be sad for you to miss
such a wonderful opportunity so close to your home.
Millie Carpenter on thu 11 oct 01
Nikki,
you might want to consider calling the hotels involved and find out if
they have a bonded baby sitter available, a lot of the hotels provide a
list of approved sitters. then all you have to do is get someone to
loan you the use of their room for the day, depending on the ages and
number of the kids you may need more than one sitter.
everything is very crowded, and I think that if you had a nursing baby
in a snugli/front sling, if might be possible, he busses are more than
crowded a child in a stroller would be difficult to manage on the
sales floor is usually crowded. but a child who would stay in a back
pack for two hours might be okay, the problem that would be uppermost
in my mind, is that in the lecture/demo areas, it is packed and a
talking/crying/fidgeting child would be a disturbance.
I know that when my children were at the age that they would likely be a
disturbance to others I made arrangements for them to be cared for
elsewhere, or I didn't go. it is really hard to focus on childcare and
watch a world class potter or sculptor and take notes and pictures and
give everything the time and attention that it deserves.
Millie in MD in that wonderful age, my children are grown and I don't
have grandchildren yet. Free at last, if I cook enough meals and freeze
them for my husband to eat while I am gone.
primalmommy@IVILLAGE.COM on thu 11 oct 01
I have to chime in here, since I have given this much thought in the past. I have not yet been to an NCECA, because my kids were too little. (Now that everyone is weaned, I don't go because we can't afford it) ;0)
In my experience, a newborn in a sling is practically an accessory; they nurse, sleep, look around a bit. I have "worn" small, happy sling babies to weekend poetry and homeschool workshops, lectures, restaurants, church, etc. and folks don't even notice.
Bigger kids, though, are a different story. The issue, to me, is, how much fun would a RR lecture be to a three year old? It might be unfair to expect kids to be quiet and well behaved in such a crowded, grown-up environment for long periods of time.
If kids have separation problems, and wouldn't be happy left with dad or grandma or somebody, my decision would be to wait. My mom says, "when I look back on my life, the time with little kids was just a blink." A reminder, to me, of how important it is not to miss it, and how much life is left to fill with adventures after kids are more independent...
If there IS a significant other or trusted friend/relative who would be happy to watch bigger kids, and the kids wouldn't be miserable, I would highly recommend the mommies taking some "time off".
I don't say this lightly; as an attachment-parenting, breastfeeding, family-bedding, homeschooling mom, I rarely factor in my own convenience in family decisions. But once a year, if I sell enough pots, I go to a workshop for a week ALL BY MYSELF. Stay up half the night doing clay. Have grown up conversations (well, sort of... there is often beer involved after dark.) It's amazing what you can accomplish when you focus your entire attention on something, without constant interruptions, or having to put the brakes on your momentum every few hours to handle meals, naps, lessons, diapers, etc...
Another possibility would be to have the moms pitch in and BRING a sitter (anybody have a teenaged daughter?) and pay her to hang out with the kids at the hotel while you guys do NCECA. If you are willing to keep shifting gears from clay to kids, hit some things and skip others, you could probably do it.
I would LOVE to make it to an NCECA one day... maybe this year's christmas sales, scout group sessions, classes here and there will add up to a trip to missouri. Wouldn't it be nice if the US government put together an affordable passenger rail system to reduce dependence on oil and give folks a cheap option to flying...
Yours, Kelly in Ohio (whose littlest is 3, and who is finally done washing diapers after 8 long years!)
Life is short, but it's wide...
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