by Greyfax
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I’m back! At least for a couple more columns…
Here’s the latest question:
One person started bringing his kids, 9 and 11. They are both bright kids and can play a number of the games, but as much as I like kids, it just wasn’t fun playing with them. Their parents often went off to more complicated games and left some of us hosting their kids through mid-weight games. I don’t particularly care to play with kids I don’t know.
Now a friend and I tend to avoid going to these events, and we heard that last month there were multiple kids mostly disrupting the games — playing, yes, but not following when it is their turn, wondering off to see what is going on at other tables in the middle of games, and some of them just randomly running around not playing anything. I once brought my teenager, and I made sure I was playing at the games where he was and that he was focused on playing…and when he no longer was, we left.
I like this group and would like to go back, but I don’t particularly want to play with other people’s kids.
I am not part of the organizing committee, and I recognize that inclusivity is very important for this place. Do I shrug it off and play somewhere else? Or do I try to make the change?
What those parents have found is that folks will babysit their kids for free. Leaving your kids to play with others while playing what you really want to play is simply rude and I would not continue to play in that environment.
Even if the parents ask for your approval, they put people at the table in an uncomfortable position of rejecting their kids in front of those kids. Thus, this is not a good practice.
You could talk with the organizers about an age requirement, assuming community rules allow them to do that. If not, or they don’t feel it’s an issue, then you’ll probably need to find another place to play.
Folks with kids, how do you manage them within your boardgame hobby? Be sure to mention the child’s age in your response. It’s been a long time since I had this issue (my “kid” is 34 now), but if I recall correctly, when we brought him to a meetup, he played with us.
Best,
Ms. Meeple (Jennifer Schlickbernd)
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