My boys & I attended a 3D event last weekend and had a fun time. However, I couldn't help but notice that the event itself was very family UN-friendly. That is not to say that there weren't friendly people. We met some very friendly folks and I wish I could have talked with them more (try having conversations with little ones around and always asking questions -- it's tough). But the event as a whole, was about as unfriendly toward kids as anything we've attended. Here are a few ideas for these kinds of events that would improve the family experience and help foster the next generation:
1. Clearly advertise start times and state whether these are firm or flexible. We've attended shoots where it's a come-and-go as you please where you just work in wherever and in whatever order. This one, upon showing up an hour late, hardly knew what to do with us. The event hosts were polite and flexible but we were clearly outside expectations.
2. Identify families shooting together and try to link families and kids together. My kids enjoy shooting with other families and like to feel that they are welcome, not just a politely tolerated. At a compound-centric event we attended last spring, we linked up with a couple, random groups and they were very encouraging to kids and my son enjoyed it so much that he asked if the same guys would be at this event. This time, however, we we felt like a pack of lepers to be avoided during the shoot & were largely on our own. Not one group invited us to join them. Mind you, my kids are very well-behaved and easily engaged conversation with a few friendly people -- making the adults crack up with their stream-of-consciousness conversation. Making space for kids, linking families together to shoot together, helping kids get the most out of these events ensures that these kinds of events will continue in the future.
3. Have a short-range practice area that is a permanent part of the event. Young kids just want to fling arrows and watch them fly. Precise aiming, distance estimation, etc. are beyond the skill set of most 4-6 year-olds. Wandering around and waiting for grown ups all day isn't going to be fun for long -- they need to be able to engage in their own practice and play. This event shut down the practice area for the 3D competition. Because of the need to "keep moving" so as not to hold up other shooters on the course, we couldn't just relax and let them fling arrows. If they really wanted to have some fun, adding some flu-flu practice with helium balloons would be an absolute kick for the little ones (my oldest son's idea).
4. This is more of a side note, I don't mind some drinking -- especially late in the afternoon. But if you're pretty toasted and follow us around paying a lot of attention to my kids but almost none to the surrounding adults, you've thrown up every parenting safety red flag there is. Quietly, I'm actually checking for exits, watching your hands, stature, etc. for your physical vulnerabilities should I need to take you down if you get out of line. If you have a socially-awkward friend in your group, they may need a gentle reminder to mind their social manners when around kids and drinking.
5. Sadly, take a lesson from the compound shooters events and actually cater to kids for a portion of the event. Kid-only competitions, kid stakes at the 3D targets, special prizes for participants, etc. go a long way to making kids feel like they want to come back. For this event, special thanks to the hosts who went out of their way to give our kids some event pins and free raffle tickets -- the boys really loved that & it was a nice touch.
6. Foster an easy-going vibe. Some people are too competitive. It's like caveman golf and should be about as casual as that.
7. Have safe-zones to walk back to the main parking and event area. My youngest is only good for about 20 targets before we need to head back, refuel the calories, rest in the shade a bit, etc. But instead of just walking back, we had to wait for several large groups to finish shooting so we could walk through to the next target, only to wait again. We couldn't even take side roads since they were right behind some of the targets (high risk of being downrange of arrows). That extra 40 min of waiting around isn't easy with little ones who are already spending a lot of the day waiting for grown ups.
Again, my kids had a great time and I didn't call any attention to the unfriendly aspects of the day. I'm glad that they remember the day as nothing but fun and won't tell them otherwise. But I certainly have some reservations about going back to this event in the future -- at least until the boys are older. It took a lot of work on my part to make sure that they had a good time -- having a vested interest in making sure that they do. After all, it's a lot easier to convince the wife to let me go to these things if she gets a day off from the kids. For the sake of keeping this kind of thing going in the future, we parents can use some help.
For those of you who attend more family-friendly events, what are the things you've seen that help foster a more family-friendly, multi-generational atmosphere?
Topic: Making 3D Family Friendly (Read 443 times)
