https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Tue, 21 Apr 2026 04:48:54 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/parents-let-kids-crawl-on-museum-exhibit-discuss/page/3#post-1383079 Wed, 29 Jan 2014 00:32:14 +0000 sarac 1383079@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Crap like this is why the art museum here in Portland actively discourages kids. And how could you blame them! Worst parenting ever! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/parents-let-kids-crawl-on-museum-exhibit-discuss/page/3#post-1382894 Tue, 28 Jan 2014 21:14:21 +0000 Mae 1382894@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Agree with all those who say the exhibits shouldn't HAVE to be roped off. People just have no common sense or respect. </p> <p>Reminds me of a story my boss told me. He was somewhere overseas in asia or something and went to this outlook and there was a sign in english that said something like "Warning: Do not get too close to the edge, you can fall and die." He was chatting up an employee and asked why there was only a sign in English and not in other languages (not even the native language) and he was told it was because Americans are the only ones who don't have enough common sense to see a steep cliff and just stay away without someone telling them to. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/parents-let-kids-crawl-on-museum-exhibit-discuss/page/3#post-1382880 Tue, 28 Jan 2014 21:02:50 +0000 Andrea 1382880@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I disagree that they need to rope everything off. The Tate Modern is like a big art gallery, from what I remember. If you're bringing your kids to such places, you need to control them. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/parents-let-kids-crawl-on-museum-exhibit-discuss/page/3#post-1382854 Tue, 28 Jan 2014 20:54:17 +0000 wonderstruck 1382854@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Ugh, this is so pathetic and is totally horrible parenting - yeah, your kid is just a special snowflake who gets to do whatever they want and show no respect for other people, authority, or the rules. I'm sure they'll grow up to be totally awesome individuals with that kind of mindset.</p> <p>It's never occurred to me that museums should put up ropes or fences or anything. Our local art museum, the Detroit Institute of Art, is kind of in a bad area and I've still never seen this done. I mean really, they're supposed to have a fence up so people don't touch the FRAMED ARTWORK on the walls of a MUSEUM?! Or sculptures or anything? I mean yeah, I got the argument about it sadly being necessary, but it's just ridiculous for it to be necessary! Want to know what I like better? Making people sign a paper when they enter the museum saying that they won't touch the artwork, and fining them or kicking the out or something and banning them if they do it anyways. Exceptions made for kids as long as their parents are, you know, actually parenting.</p> <p>People like this are the reason child-free adults bitch about people bringing their kids to restaurants, museums, etc. And their response about the person not understanding children? Um, no - you actually just don't understand parenting. I'd say they're doing it wrong...but they're not actually doing it at all. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/parents-let-kids-crawl-on-museum-exhibit-discuss/page/3#post-1382606 Tue, 28 Jan 2014 18:58:27 +0000 sunny 1382606@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@yoursilverlining: Perhaps the paintings are safe because no one wants to see the inside of a Russian jail cell :-) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/parents-let-kids-crawl-on-museum-exhibit-discuss/page/3#post-1382602 Tue, 28 Jan 2014 18:56:55 +0000 sunny 1382602@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>You would think that these things are common sense, but if you have ever been to see the Raphael rooms in the Vatican Palace, you would know that tons of people have absolutely no common sense.</p> <p>The rooms have delicate paintings all over the the walls, and yet tourists continually want to touch the walls. It really made me so angry that beautiful works of art were being touched so casually. There was even graffiti of the sort "___ was here" or "Jane + John". The Vatican has installed plexiglass over the lowest area, but I still saw people (adults &amp; children) reach up and try to touch the unprotected parts of the paintings. It took all my self control to not shout "you see with your eyes, and not your hands!" </p> <p>This museum with the toddler should have roped off the exhibit somewhat in order to make it clear that it shouldn't be touched. Its unfortunate that it has to be done. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/parents-let-kids-crawl-on-museum-exhibit-discuss/page/2#post-1382516 Tue, 28 Jan 2014 18:18:01 +0000 yoursilverlining 1382516@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mrbee: we went to the Hermitage museums a couple of years ago and one of the most amazing aspects of it is that nothing is roped off - you can walk RIGHT up to some of the most famous paintings and no alarms go off, no guards rush at you. I'm sure at some point some crazy person, or some a-hole, self-involved parent will ruin some priceless piece of art and ruin the experience for everyone else after that, but it's a pretty amazing difference in museum policy!</p> <p>I think the parents are to blame and deserve any public shaming they get. They did behave in a horrible and disrespectful manner. You can't always control a toddler every moment, but this was blatant not caring at all. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/parents-let-kids-crawl-on-museum-exhibit-discuss/page/2#post-1382488 Tue, 28 Jan 2014 18:00:21 +0000 jedeve 1382488@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mrbee: I agree! I think that there are so many different ways art is "done" now. Some sculptures invite touch, interaction, and non-visual interaction. I think that while the assumption should probably be "don't touch," if a gallery was interested in protecting their investment, they should rope it off. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/parents-let-kids-crawl-on-museum-exhibit-discuss/page/2#post-1382473 Tue, 28 Jan 2014 17:49:33 +0000 mrbee 1382473@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mae: I think a rope is better than nothing... better yet would be a wooden fence-like enclosure. At the Natural History Museum, they used both pretty regularly to protect their artifacts... along with having a lot of guards and museum staff. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/parents-let-kids-crawl-on-museum-exhibit-discuss/page/2#post-1382465 Tue, 28 Jan 2014 17:45:51 +0000 Mae 1382465@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mrbee: if these parents let their kid crawl INSIDE the sculpture though, what makes you think a flimsy rope would stop them from letting the kid crawl under it and climb inside it? I think those floor sensor things are the best option obviously, but those must be expensive. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/parents-let-kids-crawl-on-museum-exhibit-discuss/page/2#post-1382451 Tue, 28 Jan 2014 17:39:24 +0000 mrbee 1382451@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@pui: My main point is that if you are showing multimillion dollar objects to the public, it's important to protect the items from potential damage. I think any gallery or museum has to plan for the worst case scenario... maybe I'm cynical, but I don't think it's a good idea to hope that visitors will all use good judgment and common sense! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/parents-let-kids-crawl-on-museum-exhibit-discuss/page/2#post-1382445 Tue, 28 Jan 2014 17:35:39 +0000 Mrs. Pen 1382445@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mrbee: oh that is cool. I didn't know that about the American Museum of Natural History. Next time we are in NY to visit family, I will have to take J there! I bet he would love it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/parents-let-kids-crawl-on-museum-exhibit-discuss/page/2#post-1382440 Tue, 28 Jan 2014 17:33:50 +0000 pui 1382440@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mrbee: Eh we'll have to agree to disagree I suppose. I don't think letting your child lie on a piece of art fits under "clueless", it's better described by "boorish". It doesn't help that when they were confronted they didn't apologize. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/parents-let-kids-crawl-on-museum-exhibit-discuss/page/2#post-1382429 Tue, 28 Jan 2014 17:30:41 +0000 mrbee 1382429@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@pui: I think it should be common sense too! But at least in this case, it looks like common sense can't be relied upon... so the gallery should take additional measures.</p> <p>We just took the kids to the American Museum of Natural History, and it was really interesting to see how ropes communicated the intent of the museum. Some of the dinosaur exhibits didn't have ropes around them, and seemed to encourage kids to touch them. I looked closely and in those cases, the exhibits were of fake plaster or plastic dinosaur bones... and the lack of ropes was meant to encourage kids to interact with the display.</p> <p>I realize that an art gallery is different from a museum, but I think any public institution showing multi-million dollar objects should take measures to convey to visitors that they shouldn't touch items (putting items behind glass, putting a rope around them, having a guard standing in front of the item, etc.). Even if common sense covers 99% of visitors, that still leaves the 1% of clueless people who could do real damage to a valuable item.</p> <p>ps All that said, I think the parents of the kids really screwed up here and I would be horrified if my kids did anything close to this at a gallery or museum!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/parents-let-kids-crawl-on-museum-exhibit-discuss/page/2#post-1382427 Tue, 28 Jan 2014 17:30:09 +0000 MrsSCB 1382427@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Wow, this is pretty unbelievable. I can't believe the parents just did nothing! I don't really think any of our assessments of the artwork and how much it "should" be worth are relevant because the fact is, this is a museum and unless otherwise directed, you are not supposed to touch anything at a museum. I don't really think it matters whether or not a rope was there either -- if these parents have been a part of normal society at any point in their lives, they know their kid should not be touching that. I wouldn't call the kid horrible, but the parents? Sure. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/parents-let-kids-crawl-on-museum-exhibit-discuss/page/2#post-1382414 Tue, 28 Jan 2014 17:26:15 +0000 mrs. wagon 1382414@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Anagram: wow this is so good. :)</p> <p>@pui: very true, and yes, what if they had broken it?? How could those parents not be worried about that?? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/parents-let-kids-crawl-on-museum-exhibit-discuss/page/2#post-1382398 Tue, 28 Jan 2014 17:19:07 +0000 pui 1382398@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mrs. wagon: I think there is a huge difference between touching and letting your kid climb on it. The latter should be an obvious "no no", I'd think. If these parents had just let their kids put her hands all over the art, while still not a stellar thing to do, it would have been much more forgiveable. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/parents-let-kids-crawl-on-museum-exhibit-discuss/page/2#post-1382394 Tue, 28 Jan 2014 17:18:27 +0000 Mae 1382394@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Anagram: totally agree on all accounts! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/parents-let-kids-crawl-on-museum-exhibit-discuss/page/2#post-1382390 Tue, 28 Jan 2014 17:17:06 +0000 Anagram 1382390@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mae: I was thinking the same thing! It's interesting that our society has really gone so far from the "it takes a village" concept of raising a child. Just a generation or two ago, if a kid (or parent, or anyone) was "acting up" or doing something wrong, any random adult would have no problem saying, "honey, we don't touch expensive things that aren't ours", or whatever the case may be. But now, a lot of parents would be outraged that someone dared to question their parenting choices.</p> <p>If strangers are telling you (and having gallery employees tell you to get off the artwork is definitely telling you) that your child is being obnoxious in public, then it might be time for some healthy introspection about things you could improve in their general behavior and how you might go about it, you know?</p> <p>It definitely comes back to the fact that a lot of people our age (and I mean the parents here) were raised to think we are special snowflakes that are always the exception to rules...and now we're taking the same stance in the way we parent. </p> <p>And it some cases, it's obviously not working. Like this one. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/parents-let-kids-crawl-on-museum-exhibit-discuss/page/2#post-1382387 Tue, 28 Jan 2014 17:16:35 +0000 mrs. wagon 1382387@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@pui: a rope can at least indicate "don't touch"! People touch even paintings in frames all the time. And lean or sit on sculptures. Believe it or not! You wouldn't believe the number of ways museums enforce no touching... And it's all strategically done based on a number of things.</p> <p>But like I said before.. Anyone who is OK with their kid doing this really has no business bringing them into a museum filled with valuable art! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/parents-let-kids-crawl-on-museum-exhibit-discuss/page/2#post-1382373 Tue, 28 Jan 2014 17:10:08 +0000 pui 1382373@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mrbee: I think it should be common sense that if you're in an art gallery you don't let your kids climb on things like they're at the park. A rope can't stop a kid who's parents don't care anyway. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/parents-let-kids-crawl-on-museum-exhibit-discuss/page/2#post-1382372 Tue, 28 Jan 2014 17:09:49 +0000 jedeve 1382372@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I can see how that sculpture would be SO ENTICING to a child. Heck, to be fair - I'm sure the guards remind plenty of adults not to touch the art too! Obviously the parents should have told their child not to play on it. And it looks like they do have another kid who wasn't playing on it, if that helps the situation at all. Maybe they were just busy paying attention to that one, didn't notice what was happening, and responded rudely when someone called them out on it? Who knows.</p> <p>I do think the gallery should have roped it off. I am guessing that if it had broken their insurance company would have been quite upset that it wasn't.</p> <p>I am just thankful my worst parenting moments haven't been broadcast over the internet for others to criticize. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/parents-let-kids-crawl-on-museum-exhibit-discuss/page/2#post-1382368 Tue, 28 Jan 2014 17:08:18 +0000 Mrs. Pen 1382368@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mae: so you could say it's a cultural lag when it comes to enforcing societal norms ;)<br /> (I just finished sociology last semester haha!) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/parents-let-kids-crawl-on-museum-exhibit-discuss/page/2#post-1382360 Tue, 28 Jan 2014 17:05:16 +0000 Mae 1382360@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Greentea: lol sociology major… I knew it would come in handy some day ;) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/parents-let-kids-crawl-on-museum-exhibit-discuss/page/2#post-1382346 Tue, 28 Jan 2014 17:00:33 +0000 mrbee 1382346@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@pui: Ah ok. In any case, I think that picture shows that a rope is indeed necessary! When artwork is so valuable, it probably shouldn't be so easily accessible. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/parents-let-kids-crawl-on-museum-exhibit-discuss/page/2#post-1382336 Tue, 28 Jan 2014 16:53:32 +0000 pui 1382336@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mrbee: The gallery didn't post the photo, another visitor did.</p> <p>Also, while a rope would have helped, was it really necessary? I mean, I think it's pretty obvious that letting your kid climb on art is an awful thing to do.</p> <p>Geez, it just occurred to me... imagine if they had broken it? o_o </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/parents-let-kids-crawl-on-museum-exhibit-discuss/page/2#post-1382335 Tue, 28 Jan 2014 16:52:22 +0000 Greentea 1382335@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mae: way to think critically :) (I like that.) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/parents-let-kids-crawl-on-museum-exhibit-discuss/page/2#post-1382326 Tue, 28 Jan 2014 16:50:09 +0000 mrbee 1382326@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Everyone came out badly here. The gallery should've put up a rope around it... the parents shouldn't have let the kid climb up on it, and should have listened when the gallery asked them not to be on it... the gallery shouldn't have tweeted a picture with the kid's face on it... all around, the whole thing is a debacle. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/parents-let-kids-crawl-on-museum-exhibit-discuss/page/2#post-1382294 Tue, 28 Jan 2014 16:37:40 +0000 Mae 1382294@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Greentea: Isn't public shaming the oldest form of enforcing societal norms though? It used to be small communities where everyone knew everyone, but in the new digital world that means digital shaming. And clearly these people did not see the error of their ways via just being told they were acting inappropriately. Maybe after it going viral and seeing thousands of people (parents and non-parents alike) agree that they were being bad parents at that moment, they will learn. And maybe others who might think about doing something similar will learn too. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/parents-let-kids-crawl-on-museum-exhibit-discuss/page/2#post-1382213 Tue, 28 Jan 2014 16:04:50 +0000 Greentea 1382213@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Arden: I agree. </p>