Kids in BRC

X-topher · Post by **X-topher** » Tue Aug 08, 2006 8:19 pm

Hi everyone, after much deliberation my wife and I have decided to bring our 9yo son with us this year. I have been getting mixed feelings from friends who have never been to BM before and wanted to get some input from other burners. Would you bring a child? Would you not want others to bring their children?

we0ne · Post by **we0ne** » Tue Aug 08, 2006 8:40 pm

HI there,

Welcome and of course you should bring your child. Don't you wish your parents brought you to way cool events when you were 9? Or maybe they did, ha!ha!

Anyhow, Kidsville is a village for families with kids to camp, be safe and have a blast. Check out our chat group :

[email protected]

There are about 130 families in our village and many of them are on the kidscamp chat group. Introduce your family, read past posts on particular subjects and ask anything that's on your mind.

You and your wife are the best judges of whether or not this is an appropriate event for your child. Have you been yourselves yet? It has been my experience that advice about brining kids to BM is best sought from those that have done so in the past. Remember, many will not want your kids to be there, just like everyone has something they wish wasn't at the event (cigarette smoking comes to mind) but alas each to their own.

There are good discussions about what to expect, what to do if you end up in a camp where you don't want to be or are not welcome with your kids,on the chat group.

Our experiances last year were absolutely amazing with our 2 year old. Good Luck. Come join the chat group and than decide.

Cheers,
Skyneedle

hunter S · Post by **hunter S** » Tue Aug 08, 2006 10:56 pm

I don't believe BM is appropriate for children, Just my opinion! But if you do decide to take your son I strongly advise Kiddsville!
Last year we had a few people bring their kids into our camp and most of us were not happy about it!
This year we will post a sign "no children please"

Is their any place left that adults can go without someone thinking "it's OK, my kid can handle it!"?

geekster · Post by **geekster** » Wed Aug 09, 2006 2:27 am

My first question to you would be:

Have you ever been to the event before?

If no: Go without the kids first and then decide

If yes: Cool, realize that having the child there is going to greatly alter your experiance. Also, the child might not enjoy it as much as you do. I have twice experianced a "wild kid" entering our camp, had no idea where their parents were, seemed dehydrated, scared, not having fun. If your reason for bringing the child is that you can't afford childcare or don't have someone to watch them but are determined to have your burningman experiance, I would suggest you not go. But if you are going to bring the child and make the event a family experiance and involve the child fully in that experiance, then great!

geekster · Post by **geekster** » Wed Aug 09, 2006 2:38 am

One thing I would do if I were to take my children to the event:

I would make either a laminate or have a wrist band that had MY name, my camp, and my camp's location on it. I am not sure if I would put the kids name on it because someone could see the name and use that to exploit a sense of familiarity. "Hi, Suzie ... want some candy?"

It isn't that I am so paranoid like that because it is a great community but I just don't want to make it easy for some idiot. But if somehow they should get lost or hurt, they would have attached to their person something that gives some idea of where they belong.

X-topher · Post by **X-topher** » Wed Aug 09, 2006 3:45 am

[quote="we0ne"]Don't you wish your parents brought you to way cool events when you were 9? Or maybe they did, ha!ha!

You and your wife are the best judges of whether or not this is an appropriate event for your child. Have you been yourselves yet? Skyneedle[/quote]

I was at Woodstock- of course I was only 4 months old so don't think that counts.

We went to BM last year and this has been a topic of discussion for the three of us all year. We have showed him pictures and told him stories and I think he will come home with a clearer view of what BM is about than some people I met last year. He is a great artist, an up and coming drummer and just got a black belt in taekwondo. I think we have been raising him to fit right in with the diversified culture of BRC.

X-topher · Post by **X-topher** » Wed Aug 09, 2006 5:07 am

[quote="geekster"]If your reason for bringing the child is that you can't afford childcare or don't have someone to watch them but are determined to have your burningman experiance, I would suggest you not go. But if you are going to bring the child and make the event a family experiance and involve the child fully in that experiance, then great![/quote]

We are coming from the East coast and live within 5 miles of two of his grandparents who would gladly watch him for a week. Money is not the issue. Between plane fair and admission alone we are spending a lot to get him there. We truly want him with us and we are very responsible parents who would never let him wander alone. He is not coming because we "think it is so cool and open minded to bring a kid to burning man". We are bringing him because we think the point of BM is to enlighten people on the vast supply of social/political/artistic/ecological/economic differences available to everyone, and that people can have fun while trying to make the world a better place.

we0ne · Post by **we0ne** » Wed Aug 09, 2006 8:13 am

X-topher,

You didn't buy him a ticket did you? Thought from your last post that maybe you bought him one, because he would be free for admission. Hope to see you there or chat on line in our group. If your staying with kidsville, while you don't have to pre register, it is appreciated so we can place people according to their needs for space, type of transport or theme camp placement if you so desire.

Chow,
Skyneedle

Kinetic IV · Post by **Kinetic IV** » Wed Aug 09, 2006 8:41 am

We went to BM last year and this has been a topic of discussion for the three of us all year. We have showed him pictures and told him stories and I think he will come home with a clearer view of what BM is about than some people I met last year. He is a great artist, an up and coming drummer and just got a black belt in taekwondo. I think we have been raising him to fit right in with the diversified culture of BRC.

Tossing my $0.02 in here it sounds like you've already laid the groundwork for your son to have a great experience at BM. While many of the previous posts have very valid concerns I know what happened when I took my sister out there a couple of years back. She was 16 at the time and I was worried how she would handle it...it turned out as our entire family agrees now to be one of the single best things we ever let her do. It broke her out of her shell and inspired her creativity...yes as miraculous as it seems a one week trip to BRC can be a gigantic catalyst for change.

Definitely connect with Kidsville though, there are some very good people over there. And by the way CONGRATULATIONS to him on earning that Black Belt. Just curious...some TKD groups do it, some don't but ours encourages people to shoot for the Kukkiwon Dan certificate along with getting the coveted black belt. Is your son going to get that certificate? Either way it's a major accomplishment!!!! And I hope to see ALL of you at the Meet and Greet!

X-topher · Post by **X-topher** » Wed Aug 09, 2006 1:44 pm

[quote="we0ne"]X-topher,

If your staying with kidsville, while you don't have to pre register, it is appreciated so we can place people according to their needs for space, type of transport or theme camp placement if you so desire.

Chow,
Skyneedle[/quote]

Last year we stayed near kidsville because we were with a couple with a baby, but we so many in our camp that we did not want to take up too much space there. I think we will do the same this year. Thank you and thanks for the info on the ticket, I'll make sure it goes to a burner in need of a ticket.

If we do decide to stay with kidsville how can I contact you?

X-topher · Post by **X-topher** » Wed Aug 09, 2006 1:48 pm

[quote="Kinetic IV"][quote]And by the way CONGRATULATIONS to him on earning that Black Belt. Just curious...some TKD groups do it, some don't but ours encourages people to shoot for the Kukkiwon Dan certificate along with getting the coveted black belt. Is your son going to get that certificate? Either way it's a major accomplishment!!!! And I hope to see ALL of you at the Meet and Greet![/quote]

Thanks, he will be going for 1st dan this time next year. Like my Shotokan sensei used to say " some day you will all be black belts... and then you can start training."

we0ne · Post by **we0ne** » Wed Aug 09, 2006 4:04 pm

HI again,

If you want to register, hook up via the chat group I mentioned earlier, let the Mayor know when you will be arriving, how many in your camp and if you have any special needs. If your not deciding until you are at BM, show up to kidsville and you will get whatever is leftover.

Cheers

ZaphodBurner · Post by **ZaphodBurner** » Wed Aug 09, 2006 4:09 pm

X-topher wrote:Hi everyone, after much deliberation my wife and I have decided to bring our 9yo son with us this year. I have been getting mixed feelings from friends who have never been to BM before and wanted to get some input from other burners. Would you bring a child? Would you not want others to bring their children?

I didn't want to deal with children but two of our campmates brought their 5 y.o. last year, and he turned out to be a little rock star. They were virgins so we arranged an escape route in case they decided they needed to go camp somewhere a little more kid-friendly, and they were even prepared to bail early if they had to. It took him a couple of days to adjust, and he didn't have a very good time at first, but once he got the hang of it he seemed to have a blast.

-c

Taniwha · Post by **Taniwha** » Wed Aug 16, 2006 10:22 pm

Took ours starting at 11 and 9 we've always had a blast, labelling the kids in case they get lost is a great idea, walking around with them and looking at stuff and talking about it is fun too, occasionally you may find something you don't want to explain but there always seems to be a "hey look at that over there!" to distract with. It's also a great place to talk to your kids about drugs, esp when they're a little bit older

Kids really make out big in the playa gift dept and look out for crafts you can do with them

Finding other kids for them to hang with is hard - KidsCamp is a definite plus, if nothing else stop by and get yourself invited to an evening potluck

Some really important stuff: hold onto them during the burn, esp. when everyone runs forward, keep them hydrated, and a hat and lots of sunscreen

SED · Post by **SED** » Wed Aug 16, 2006 11:02 pm

Kids at the Burn--Bad, Bad thing.

Would like to visit kidsville to challenge my own idea of that, but six burns and two kids in, Bad Bad thing.

geekster · Post by **geekster** » Thu Aug 17, 2006 12:25 am

Besides, they are hard to light and don't burn worth crap.

factoid · Post by **factoid** » Mon Jun 30, 2008 8:03 pm

If you bring your kids and let them run wherever, wearing whatever and barely drinking enough water, you deserve the crappy experience they'll share with everyone else. They'll be lethargic, sunburnt, pissy, depressed and nasty. And possibly quite ill.

If you do what we tried to do - bring our 3- and 5-year-old and treat them like children, who need to be looked after often and shown love and healthy practices (drink water constantly, get sleep when you need it, lotsa sunblock and no barefootin') and given explanation when they see something that troubles them, then it's a mind-opening, life-changing event for them - and for you.

Not one person they met scowled or sneered, and the vast majority welcomed them with open arms, spray-on tattoos, cheerful discussions and lovely gifts. One woman - topless, with the words "Do I look like a slut?" Sharpie'd on her back - went all mushy-kneed upon meeting our kids: "I had to leave my kids home," she said. "I wish I'd brought them now, I miss them!" True story.

That said, my wife and I try to give each other a night off each to go roam the playa as irresponsible adults at least once. But this year, we're building bike trailers with reclining chairs so the kids can stay out and awake as late as they care to - and fall asleep as we roll from one spectacle to the next.

Approaching their third Burn (our sixth, since '96) our kids fully understand the culture, they're making gifts and getting excited about art cars and flaming machinery - and they're citizens of Black Rock City as much as anyone else there.

Dusza Beben · Post by **Dusza Beben** » Mon Jun 30, 2008 8:22 pm

Very well said Factoid.
It really depends on the kids!
Our daughters first burn was in '04 at the age of 6.
She has been radically self reliant since leaving the womb
and really found herself on the playa. Many of the really cool things that we attended at that burn were because our daughter had been invited. She even ended up voluteering with my wife and became the youngest lamplighter in BM history. It wasn't for show either, she worked her little fanny off helping to light the main thoroughfare on the night of the burn. She totally gets burning man and is stoked to go back this year.
Our son will be turning 8 at this years burn. Can you imagine a better birthday party? I can't tell you how many times the phrase "I wish my parents were as cool as you two when I was that age" was heard.
Like any other city scape just use common sense. We didn't take her to the seriously adult camps & such but we sure did experience tons of art with her. We don't camp in kidsville.
DB

MikeVDS · Post by **MikeVDS** » Mon Jun 30, 2008 9:33 pm

I'd say if you're going to bring your kid, you need to make it about your kid. Also don't allow your kid to become anyone elses problem. If a camp doesn't want kids, that should be respected. If others are uncomfortable around a kid because of whatever they wish to do, you don't have the right to mess with their burn, just like they don't have the right to mess with your kids burn. There is plenty of room out there for debauchery and silly playfulness. Most people who complain either way should have just taken care of the problem before it became one.

thirt33n · Post by **thirt33n** » Mon Jun 30, 2008 9:35 pm

burningman birthday.

...like those candles that won't blow out.

burning kids are great!

factoid · Post by **factoid** » Mon Jun 30, 2008 9:59 pm

FWIW, we had our daughter's 5th birthday party in '06 and invited everyone in Kidsville - we set out some carnival-type games of skill, brought 100 cupcakes and let all the kids decorate their own, put up a wall of butcher paper and set out the tempera paints and let everyone go nuts. She still says it was her favorite party ever.

JezebelinHell · Post by **JezebelinHell** » Tue Jul 01, 2008 8:28 am

geekster wrote:One thing I would do if I were to take my children to the event:

I would make either a laminate or have a wrist band that had MY name, my camp, and my camp's location on it. I am not sure if I would put the kids name on it because someone could see the name and use that to exploit a sense of familiarity. "Hi, Suzie ... want some candy?"

It isn't that I am so paranoid like that because it is a great community but I just don't want to make it easy for some idiot. But if somehow they should get lost or hurt, they would have attached to their person something that gives some idea of where they belong.

My friends brought their four-year-old out for the second time last year and that kid loves the playa. They wrote, on his chest in big black marker, "Please return me to Camp Elsewhere" and then the camp address. We didn't have any problems with him running off or getting lost, but it's always nice to have that safety net there. He loved it cause he thought he had a tattoo.

Intubater69 · Post by **Intubater69** » Tue Jul 01, 2008 11:43 am

My wife and I will be bringing our 5 yr old, turning 6 a wk after the burn and staying in Kidsville. I am totally stoked about finally attending my first burn, and experiencing it not only through my eyes but through my sons eyes as well. I think that when you introduce yourself and/or your child into a new, possibly radical environment you need to be prepared and everybody needs to be on the same page. At 9 mths old my son was cranking along on lake erie in our sailboat heeled over in 15-20 knot winds. He was laughing his ass off. Of course Mom was a wee bit tenser

Apollonaris Zeus · Post by **Apollonaris Zeus** » Thu Jul 03, 2008 8:26 pm

Marinate them well!

Roast them and turn frequently.

For those tasty late night playa snacks!

And please feed them no sugar for 24 hours before.

I'm on a diet!

Ugly Dougly · Post by **Ugly Dougly** » Fri Jul 04, 2008 7:42 am

Many people have mixed feelings about children. That's why you should keep an eye on them.

oneeyeddick · Post by **oneeyeddick** » Fri Jul 04, 2008 11:34 am

It's not fair that they let you bring kids but they don't let you bring pets.

They both require the same sort of special attention.

Minus the sunblock and naps, that is.

JezebelinHell · Post by **JezebelinHell** » Fri Jul 04, 2008 12:01 pm

And hopefully your kids aren't pooping on the playa... although if that were the reason for the restriction they wouldn't let the frat boys in either.

oneeyeddick · Post by **oneeyeddick** » Fri Jul 04, 2008 12:33 pm

My monkey likes to wear a diaper.

MikeVDS · Post by **MikeVDS** » Fri Jul 04, 2008 2:30 pm

It's not fair that they let you bring kids but they don't let you bring pets.

They both require the same sort of special attention.

Yes and no. Pets and kids on the playa require a lot of attention to not cause problems. In general kids require more attention than pets, so people who bring pet will tend to pay less attention to them than they will to kids. Of course there are always stupid people, but I tend to think fewer peopoe are stupid with their own kids than they are with their pets.

TomServo · Post by **TomServo** » Fri Jul 04, 2008 2:55 pm

If you do bring them, make sure THEY are entertaind! saw some kids from kidsville, driving motorized school desks..seemed to be having the time of their lives. Bring them because you WANT to...not because you HAVE to.
Never brought my son to Burning Man...but he loved 4th of Juplaya! and the ranch..all those red stakes you see out their..thak my son. he painted them

Kids in BRC

Kids in BRC

Re: Kids in BRC

Re: Kids in BRC

Well-led kids + burning man = goodness