Even though a new survey suggests that one fifth of British parents have taken an under-five to a festival, do kids really have a place there?
It's summer and festival season is well upon us. From Edgefest to Glastonbury, there is no shortage of amazing music festivals on both sides of the Atlantic. Obviously parents still want to rock, but the question is, are festivals suitable for young children?
A reporter for the Guardian discovered the resounding answer, after his five-year-old son flung himself on the ground, hands clutched to his ears, screaming "No! No! No!"
After attending the Tragically Hip Canada Day concert at Toronto's Downsview Park, this yummy mummy concedes that music festivals and young children don't really mix. While my own two-year-old stayed at home with a sitter, other children were schlepped around the trash-strewn field way past bedtime and subjected to a rock blare that would likely cause long-term damage to their ear drums.
Before you tsk-tsk the choices of some parents, consider that of 1,500 parents surveyed at parenting website Gurgle.com admitted to taking an under-five to a music festival in the past year.
No one wants to miss out, moms and dads included. Yet, as always, a little common sense goes a long way. It's worth bearing in mind the type of festival and the age of your kids. Five-and-unders should probably give the beer tents a miss.
While stories about someone giving birth knee-deep in Glastonbury mud may make you cringe, festivals can be a great experience for the whole family and a lesson in music appreciation which kids will cherish as they grow older -- when they can brag to their friends, "I saw so-and-so way back when".
Would you bring a young child to a festival, or is it selfish and irresponsible?
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