A Mom Addresses The Rudeness She Experienced After Bringing Her 10-Month-Old Baby To A Rave
Some environments are simply not appropriate for babies.
Melanie Lemahieu / Shutterstock A mom’s decision to bring her 10-month-old son to a rave has sparked a significant debate on parenting, social norms and the boundaries of acceptable behavior in unconventional settings.
While it's admirable that she is embracing her lifestyle while nurturing her child, many have criticized her for exposing the infant to potentially harmful environments.
The mom addressed the criticism she was exposed to after bringing her son to a Zed’s Dead show.
The woman took to social media to vent about her poor experience, and her post has been circulating on several platforms as people weighed in on the controversial topic.
Reposted on Reddit in r/OhNoConsequences, her post begins with her saying, “Just a little reminder, if you ever go to a show and see a child or a baby there, I don’t care how lost you are, have some respect.”
She explained that she brought her son to a Zed’s Dead concert in Spokane, WA at The Knitting Factory, a concert venue. She justified this by stating how she wasn’t able to find a babysitter but she had already purchased the tickets, and when there’s no other option as a parent, sometimes “you have to bring your kids along.”
Photo: Reddit
During the show, she complained about how people were repeatedly bumping into her son and smacking her, one man spilled his drink on her, and at one point the crowd was loaded with people that they couldn’t move.
The woman had to get her and her baby out of the crowd, and as she shoved her way through, yelling, “We have a baby, you need to move,” she was faced with several rude comments and reactions.
“It’s not that hard to have fun and still be considerate of each other,” the woman wrote. “That’s what this community should be about. Not getting so messed up that you become completely unaware of yourself and your surroundings.”
While she has reason to be upset, these are occurrences that she should have anticipated based on the environment.
Unfortunately, raves are notorious for being loud and wild environments. People who attend must bring a level of awareness with them when attending.
While the woman made a valid point about the rave community showing her respect, she should have been prepared for such behavior in a predominantly adult setting. This isn’t the case for every festival environment, as some events are known to be more easy going and family-friendly.
The woman added that she initially experimented with bringing her son out to a rave with her at a Big Gigantic concert when he was only four months old, but her experience was much more pleasant. She stated how she kept her son in his backpack with proper ear protection, and he slept throughout the show. The crowd was not as overwhelming, and there was enough room to dance comfortably, and other concert-goers were much more friendly, kind, and curious about her son.
Photo: Reddit
“This just goes to show that if you do bring your baby to an all ages show it can work out completely fine,” she shared. “If you bring them and they don’t like it, then you learn.”
Regardless of this experience, you never know what to expect when attending a rave, and some experiences are not suitable for babies.
Many argued that a rave is no place for a child, let alone a baby.
So much can go wrong at a rave, from dehydration to hyperthermia, in addition to unsafe actions and accidents. Raves attract large crowds, which pose a danger in and of itself. The experience of getting stuck in a crowd crush, one that every raver should anticipate and avoid when attending an event, can create immense anxiety for an adult, let alone a baby.
Additionally, attendees might be intoxicated, which can not only cause unruly and questionable behaviors, but also lead to overdose. Not exactly an ideal environment for minors.
In the case that someone does choose to bring their young child to a music festival, it’s essential for parents to take every safety measure necessary.
If you choose to bring your child to a music festival, be sure to consider these safety tips.
This woman is not the first parent to bring her child to a festival. In fact, one couple shared their in-depth experience bringing their daughter to festivals since she was only an infant on Drifter Planet, offering tips and advice for other parents to learn how to safely go about this experience while prioritizing their child’s needs.
First and foremost, as noted by the woman in her post, not every festival or rave is best suited for a child, even if it is an all ages event. Do your research as every festival attracts a different crowd, and pick the safest option for your child.
Additionally, make sure to bring a partner or friends rather than going alone, which can be extremely stressful and dangerous.
Most importantly, provide your child with noise-canceling earphones to protect their sensitive ears from loud noises.
All in all, there are quite a few measures to consider before choosing to bring your child along to a festival, but depending on you and your child’s personal preferences, it’s either a risk worth taking or one you are better off avoiding.
There’s nothing wrong with bringing your child to an event in the appropriate context, but certain raves are simply not safe for children.
The woman mentioned how sometimes as a parent, you have to bring your child along, but the opposite is also true, and many times, parents need to make sacrifices for the safety of their child above anything else, especially a rave.
“When there is no other option as a parent sometimes… you have to stay home,” one Reddit user pointed out in the comments.
“That's part of being a decent parent. I missed out on a bunch of events,” another parent added in the comments. “I have zero regrets on choosing a more child-friendly activity with my son while he still was young.”
The woman's post, which was also reposted on Instagram by festiveowl, a festival news account, also faced criticism for believing a Zed’s Dead concert would be safe for an infant.
“This should go without saying but clearly not — don’t bring a baby, infant, puppy, kitten or creature of any kind to a show like this. This is a PSA,” festiveowl commented on the post. “There are plenty of acceptable places in the music and festival space for children and even babies. I personally love being able to cultivate and see those memories being created. The above is just completely unhinged, though.”
Despite her unpopular choices as a parent, the woman insisted that rave environments are supposed to promote "PLUR," an acronym short for peace, love, unity and respect.
“Raving should be a safe and enjoyable environment for anyone, not a place where people go to be rude and hurt each other,” the woman emphasized.
While this is true, and in recent years, many individuals who once enjoyed the rave community have begun speaking out regarding the severe lack of unity and respect they have witnessed, it was the woman's choice to bring her baby to an EDM concert, and she should have known it wouldn't be an appropriate environment.
At the end of the day, it isn’t anyone’s place to judge a parent for their choices as long as they are considerate of their child’s needs, but if said parent is complaining on social media about an experience, which she should have anticipated, there will surely be many comments questioning the logic of bringing a baby to such an event.
Thankfully, nothing severe occurred and her baby is safe and unharmed, but parents should always be mindful of what environment they are willingly bringing their child into.
Francesca Duarte is a writer on YourTango's news and entertainment team based in Orlando, FL. She covers lifestyle, human-interest, adventure and spirituality topics.