Do you take them along to parties, weddings, etc, and other events not focused on kid-entertainment?
If not, why not? And if you don’t, how do you teach them how to behave in social settings that are not always meant for kids?
If yes, how do you make sure they are enjoying themselves and behaving appropriately?
Re: Do you attend social events with your children?
yes. In 90% of the cases they go everywhere I go (stores, weddings, parties, gym, restaurants) unless specified that no kids are allowed.
If it's a real foo foo wedding or a restaurant, I sometimes go without them.
I set expectations ahead of time with them and let them know what is to be expected of them and how long it's going to take. I always keep crayons, DS, iphone, snack handy in my purse.
Re: Do you attend social events with your children?
Well my baby is only 17 months , I take her everywhere wth me, I think when she l be inshahallah lil more older n if I m gng alone tu I will leave her wth her dady at home when gng to non kid environment .
Re: Do you attend social events with your children?
he's always gone everywhere with us. he's a social kid to begin with, so he's not given us too much trouble as yet, but he's only just turned 1, so we'll see. i think kids needs to adapt to your lifestyle, and they're portable! why wouldn't you bring them? unless, of course, its date night, in which case they need to be left at home!
Re: Do you attend social events with your children?
he is 8 months and he goes wherever I go! I tried to schedule things around his nap time.. so far no real issues but then again I have cut out on social events as well. I used to be very active to attend weekly lectures at the masjid but I have cut back on those because I dont think I can convince him to just sit and play without making noise there.. I miss them but other than that, we are always together... just recently, he had a lovely time at a bridal shower and so did I. :D
ps: My circle of friends is very accomodating... no one has ever asked me to leave the kid home.. if they did, I would politely decline the inviation. no offense intended though!
Re: Do you attend social events with your children?
have always taken both kids to social events. they need to learn how to interact with others and how to behave when outside the home.. dont want em to run wild like prisoners fresh outta prison not knowing how to act or behave outside the home 
the only times i have left em home is if i have gone to a khatum etc.. i cant read anything if i have a kid sucking on my attention. husband takes care of em at that time.. but i have really limited events that i need to go alone to.
weddings etc.. i PREFER gori weddings.. they are DONE by 8 pm MAX. perfect for kids. its the desi ones that leave me in jitters.
i havent had to take anything with me.. both kids are pretty social and just follow other kids around or find something to do..
i think if you take them out from day 1.. you dont really have to teach them how to behave. they just… learn along the way. ya if you take a 3 yr old to its first wedding.. thats chaos right there!
Re: Do you attend social events with your children?
Yes always…because they love desi weddings.
I miss social events where I could take my kid , we don't know many ppl here yet. He has always gone where we go and he loves interacting and the attention he gets.
As he gets older I do prefer meetups that take place in the park which means the kid can run around. Dawats have become a little tricky coz he touches everything around him.
The only time we didn't take him with us was an office party we had to attend.
I agree with others kids should be taken out so they can learn adaab of being in a social setting.
Do you attend social events with your children?
For me she can learn to attend/behave when shes older or at the dawats at home..i duno Im just not ok with taking kiddo with me everywhere..esp malls..maybe cause I know she'd be better off at home with her dadi..
But yea I take her along when I visit someone..
Re: Do you attend social events with your children?
I did take him to weddings up until he was 2. Once he turned that age, it became harder. He hates loud music and wants to go to bed at 8:00 p.m. If he doesn't, he gets mega cranky and ends up crying his eyes out. I wouldn't take him to a function that is going till 1:00 a.m. when I know he will be unhappy the entire time. If its just dinner with friends or a regular house party, then yes, he comes along. However, formal functions in a hall with a DJ and/or band is a no-no right now.
He is incredibly social, so I am not worried about the fact that he misses out on these functions at this age. He is in the habit of waking up at 6:00 a.m. hence the crankiness. He isn't 'desi' in the sense of staying up late at night. Neither am I. :D
Re: Do you attend social events with your children?
oh and guys... i just remembered... i never used to take midget to desi weddings when he was a baby cuz.. of .. the LOUD MUSIC... it was deafening.. the grounds would be shaking.. we went to our first after midget was born and hsuband went home with him whilst i stayed behind with mil... we thought it was torture to the poor kid's hearing. we soon learned something that we hadnt noticed before having a kid.. just how loud desi weddings are... he went everywhere with us but desi weddings .. as a baby.. nopes! we just felt he would go deaf.
Re: Do you attend social events with your children?
^ Yeah, I don't take him to desi weddings at all ... unless the function is during the day, which is like, never!
Re: Do you attend social events with your children?
we attended a wedding anniversary at a restaurant that had live music when she was just 2 weeks old.
I got told off for leaving the house before my forty days were up.....
Re: Do you attend social events with your children?
We take them everywhere with us, If it's both of us together, other than that hubby and I can't handle them both alone at this point, they are still very little (ages 2 and 3) and most of the time don't want to sit in the stroller, one runs in one direction and the other in another, the outing becomes a nightmare, and of course we have both returned back home grumpy!
Have been attending a quiet a few of weddings this summer lately but to my surprise they have been actually doing well, other than the missed bed time and only then crying kicks in! which is fair enough they are babies and get tired.
I actually lost my older one (she was 2 at the time) at Sears last summer, even though my sister was with me, thankfully I found her within minutes sitting on a suitcase in the luggage section, but that day still gives me the chills but now I don't even think about taking them out alone at all, on weekdays when my husband isn't home, I do take them out but with hired help, which is working out really well for us.
Re: Do you attend social events with your children?
munchkin has gone to every desi event/wedding with us.. unless ofcourse the invitation has not included her, then one of us (mostly hubby) stays home with her....
there was only one event where we left her with my parents.. and i cant even remember why...
but she's always been a social kid and is Mashallah quite well behaved so it has never been an issue... and people inviting have been more than happy to have her