Should chidren be at the DZ?

[freeflygoddess 0]

Just a question that I was wondering, from a thread in the women's forum. I don't take my kids to the DZ for many reasons. One is so they don't have to see anyone get hurt and then being kids, they worry about you and it tears you up to tell them you are going to jump, when they beg you not to...like I use to do to my dad about smoking...I also think that there are things that go on at the DZ that they should not see, like drinking and such. I know that drinking and injuries are apart of life and leasons that they need to learn, but I think my children are too little to see those things, maybe when they are older. I was also curious to see if it bothered those with out kids, or older kids, that others bring their kids to the DZ, because it takes away from their training or whatever...or those that do have kids that stay with a sitter and they use the DZ as a vacation from the kids, if it bothers them when others bring their kids...I left for multiple answers. I also left an option for those without kids that feel that they shouldn't form an opinion on parents when they have no idea what raising kids is like...I hate it when people with out kids look at you funny in the store when you kids throughs a tantrum when you tell them that you wont buy them that toy for whatever reason...like they have a clue that kids do that on purpose to embarrase you to see if will get you to cave in...

[pajarito 0]

I've been around skydiving my whole life. I used to sit in the harness so my Dad could pack his Para-Commander. People used to change my diaper on the DZ. All of our close friends of the family skydive. My uncle owns a DZ and his son, my 1st cousin, also skdives. My cousin's sister also jumps as well as my sister. Most of my long lasting interest originated from an early age. I fully believe in exposing them early. I think it increases their learning potential concerning skydiving. They pick up on things faster. Comes more natural to them.

[Bodyflight.Net 0]

Hey goddess, this is an interesting one... I am in the "children are welcome at the dz anytime" group.
of course that doesn't come without exception.

I don't believe children should be left unattended at any time anywhere under any circumstances. PERIOD
I think though, with enough exposure and education at whatever stage they are in, they won't be afraid. Of course each is different and some are more sensitive than others but the fear is of the unknown.
I also would never expose my daughter to the typical DZ nightlife... not at her age anyway, but a couple more years.. 12 or so and I think she could and take it with a grain of salt.

[Andrewwhyte 1]

Two points:
1. It depends on the kids. Some kids are well behaved in public and some are not. This is directly atributable to the parents.
2. If the kids are there thats one thing. If you want people to modify their behavior as a result that's another. Since I work at a DZ I have to speak and behave in a manner that's acceptable to kids, parents, christians, gays, right wing assholes, left wing assholes, you name it. But the non staff are just customers. They have no obligations to tow the line to the satisfaction of any other customer.

[carbonezone 0]

I did not vote because there was not a slot that pertained to us (we don't have children) but I do have an opinion. I do think kids should be allowed at the DZ if they are properly supervised.
Here is my post from the womens forum:
I have no problem with kids being at the dropzone (SCOTTY AND I LOVE HAVING THEM AROUND)!!!
We always cater to them.

Its TOO cool when a six year old is telling the adult wuffos "please step out the landing area while jumpers are landing" CUTE!!!!

I also would have to say that at "some" DZ's I wouldn’t keep my children (age dependent) around during the night-time activities either... clearly not for kids!!!

Ya know what’s really cool???? I have met about 4 kids (well young adults) over the winter in Z-Hills that are 2nd generation jumpers. Scotty and them would reminisce stories from when they were young children at the dropzone. Of course they remember Scotty as the Crazy Man that they loved to laugh at…”THE STORIES WERE WONDERFUL”!!!!

Parents have "choices" when it comes to up-bringing their children. I respect those choices!!!! I just don’t respect a mother leaving a 2-3 month old baby unattended while jumping!!!!

True Story – When Herc (my dog) was a baby…ok a puppy, I wouldn’t jump unless someone on the ground would puppy sit. Now…keep in mind he was 4 days old when I got him so he was bottle fed and raised in a homemade puppy papoose that was worn on my chest for several weeks. Now he is all grown up and "I worry about him running around while I am in the air" …I couldn’t imagine a mother in the air while her INFANT was left unattended on the ground...I just don't get it!

<>
Tami

PS: Sorry just had to post a picture of Herc and his nuker (trying to break him from the bottle) !

[bch7773 0]

I say they are fine at the DZ, with one huge suggestion.... either don't let em into the packing area, or make sure they understand not to step over parachutes or lines on the ground. thats my only problem with kids on the DZ is if they start tripping over lines while i'm packing.

apart from that, we have jumpers with kids at my dz and they are no problem and actually a lot of fun. although they are problably gonna pick up some bad words if they hear people packing new zp or biff a landing.

MB 3528, RB 1182

[Unstable 9]

Let me just say this - The DZ is NOT the most child friendly environment..... Lets think about it - Aircraft in Motion, spinning props, high performance jumpers landing, Aircraft Fuel, Used Oil, Aircraft and Fuel Pump Batteries - it's just an accident waiting to happen!

That said, the Funniest thing I have ever seen or heard in Skydiving EVER is when an old Military Special Forces guy who flys for use told the S&TA's 4 year-old daughter "You won't think that's really funny after I SNAP your arms like twiggs" and then stuffed her into a gear bag and hung her up. Priceless......

=========Shaun ==========

[Zenister 0]

so long as they are behaved and out of the way i dont mind them at all...of course like most places there is a time when kids shouldnt be about... its not disney land...

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Its TOO cool when a six year old is telling the adult wuffos "please step out the landing area while jumpers are landing" CUTE!!!!

wasnt there a 6 year old running around perris saying "pull or die"?

____________________________________
Those who fail to learn from the past are simply Doomed.

[Kennedy 0]

I don't mind kids around (hell, some instructors still call me 'kid') but there is one requirement. I don't want to hear it if the kids picks up a bad word or grows up to be a drunk. You are bringing a kid into a party, or at least unrestricted, environment. If you can supervise them and monitor what they pick up, great. If you don't care what they pick up, that's your issue. But I don't want to hear it when little Suzie comes back to mommy repeating my F-word used while telling a friend about somebody zooming into me on a ten way and trying to track through my liver at full bore.

They're your kids. If you don't supervise them, it's your own fault. Don't give me this it takes a village shit. It takes one or two parents who care.

witty subliminal message
Guard your honor, let your reputation fall where it will, and outlast the bastards.
1*

[Faber 0]

i do have 2 kids both of them has been on the dz most of their life,they are welcome there and the day they arent,i aint welcome there any more aswell.

I have some simple rules to follow,funny thing is that thouse who break theese rules arnt the kids,but the skydivers playing whith them...

1. as said before this is kids,they must never been left were theres no eye on them.

2. they must NEVER touch or walk over gear,period!!!

3.they need to be trusted so i know as i say to them to do a thing they DO IT

The big fault out there is that skydivers:

they do walk over gear laying on the ground,kids do as grown ups,but kids=shorter legs,which means they cant take the big step the rest of us does.

they ask kids to help them packing their canopy

after thouse things how will you then have the kids to understand not to walk over gear,even if its in a hurry,its in hurry evryone make mistakes and kids do them aswell...

IF the kids are taught to help packing,they might want to help one day,in good belife they do somthing that can be fatal.

People at the dz often tells me not to be so hard on my kids,i should relaxe,but i wont.its my rules if my kids should be at the dz,and other are damned to follow them if they want to see my kids there.

I do it becourse i know(i see it each time were out there)that soon as the kids know the rules they agree to have more fun,its not fun when dad is angry...what i got is (to my eyes) the perfect dz kids that knows were no to be,and what not to touch.

people now has respect of thouse kids as they know how to behaive out there,and it therefore is fun to me,skydivers and last but not less the kids to be at the dz at the same time. i think its important that we get most happy faces out there,to get that i have to restrict my kids by some simple rules they understand.

yes my kids have touched a canopy and a harness,we took one day were we unpacked the gear to "look" at it kids way(by fingers),after they saw it,they understod that it basicly(kids eyes)was a borring thing...

Just rember as you see a kid at the dz,they are just kids,dont expect them for more,therefor keep it simple and you will have no problem.atleast my weiv of it

Stay safe
Stefan Faber

[Faber 0]

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Let me just say this - The DZ is NOT the most child friendly environment.....

your right,but the kids cant change that,the grown ups there can...

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Lets think about it - Aircraft in Motion, spinning props, high performance jumpers landing, Aircraft Fuel, Used Oil, Aircraft and Fuel Pump Batteries - it's just an accident waiting to happen!

yes if they dont know were they CANNOT be,its again the grown ups responcibilyti

Stay safe
Stefan Faber

[vt1977 0]

I don’t have children and do have an opinion on this, so there was nowhere for me to vote.

I have no problem with well-behaved, supervised children spending time in the spectator area/s of any DZ.

What annoys the hell out of me is when they find their way into the packing shed (or worse still, are taken there by their parents) and allowed to run wild. To put it simply, I don’t want children anywhere near my equipment. I’ve lost count of the number of times I have seen children tripping over lines or saying “mummy what does this do?” whilst touching someone's rig... or playing on creepers, running over their hand and then screaming. I find that there is a certain type of parent (often a non-skydiver) who does not respond well to polite requests to take the child out of the packing shed. Skydiving equipment and training equipment is NOT a toy and is potentially dangerous for children to play with.

What annoys me further is when I am in the packing shed, video room or any other skydiver-only area – and I get chastised by the parent of a child who should not strictly speaking be there for using mild swear words – along the lines of “sh*t” or “cr*p”. If they choose to bring their children into an adult environment they need to accept that adult behaviour and language will occur there.

As I’ve said, I have no problem with supervised, well-behaved children being kept in spectator areas but that is about as far as it goes.

Vicki

[Nightingale 0]

There are kids out at Perris all the time. the DZ even has a swing set for them.

I don't mind kids at the DZ, provided either a parent or a sitter is with them at all times. Otherwise, its damned dangerous to have unsupervised little ones running about when there are planes and runways and swoopers and nobody to keep the kids out of harm's way.

Two weeks ago, the plane had to abort a landing because there was a kid on the runway. At least, I think it was a kid. I would hope adults have enough sense to stay out of the way of a landing plane, but who the heck knows.

[cocheese 0]

There are a lot of places where kids are not welcome. These places are even safer and more kid friendly, but even the law says no kids.
Casinos, bars, R rated movies, dangerous work areas,
Adult places in general.
And since you should be 18 to skydive...... well then maybe you should be 18 to be there.
Most SUPERVISED kids are cool at the dz , but there are better places for them to be.
Waiting to be 18 to skydive must be torture for kids too.
Take them to any of the places i mentioned and look at the looks you might get.
No i don't have kids.

[freeflygoddess 0]

I did have a place to vote for kids without children...it said My kids are 18 or over or I have no kids....
{rest just a general response}
Any ways, kids are kids, no matter how much you parent them, they still do things to test you. You can tell them a hundred million times that going into the packing area is not safe and why and they still will do it, because they see some wuffo's kid in there playing on the creepers. You can even punish them for doing it and the next time it will happen again...Kids are kids, they have short term memory, and when they are older they do what they want to, just to test you. I have never blamed my parents for anything I did in high school and never will, I made my choices not them. At some point you have to blame yourself and not others.....

Any ways, people without children or refuse to take blame for their own childhood, tends to think that everything is the parent's fault, like when I took my son who was three at the time to a train park, to let him ride the mini train they had there, he had a blast and when we went to leave he through the biggest bloody murder fit in front of everyone. Why? because he was frustrated that he couldn't get his way, and was seeing if embarrassing mommy would help him get his way. Every single kid at that age is like that. No matter what you do. I hated getting looks from those people there without children, and I hate it when those without kids seem to forget what it was like when they were kids. Yes, some things are on the parents but in the end you make your own choices.

Now as far as kids at the DZ goes, I just don't think it is a place for them, too many things to get them into trouble, too much adult things that I wouldn't dare ask someone to stop, because my kids were there. Some DZs are a better environment for kids, and have things there for kids to do, like Perris, I take them there to play on the swings, but I wont take them there while I am jumping nor do I let them run around, let alone let them be unsupervised. Maybe when they are older and can understand things better I might take them there while I am jumping, but I doubt it. Jumping is a vaction for me and my alone time, not that I don't love my kids, I do I really do, but everyone needs a break and to just be alone and to be with other adults...and that is what I do, go and jump, and I don't ever want to have to deal with someone else's kid while I am there, because they left them on the ground alone.

[AndyMan 7]

You left out a big poll choice: Depends on the Parents!!!!

I have no issue with parents who bring their kids, as long as they properly supervise them. I don't know of any dropzones who offer babysitting services. I object to parents who bring kids, then expect other jumpers to care for them.

_Am

__

You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

[skyyhi 0]

I bring my son to the DZ on occasion. I have very simple rules and he does not break them - but that is my kid. He is also 11 years old and I only take him to my home DZ because he knows his limitations there.

Here are my rules for my son:

1. Stay behind the yellow line. . .this is the spectator area and a good place to be.

2. The picnic benches are the best place to be. When I land, I want to find you there.

Here are my rules for when it is appropriate to bring my son:

1. I will not be jumping all day or during a camp - just making a couple fun jumps.

2. I must always have another adult with me who is not jumping at the same time as me who will keep an eye on him while I am in the air.

3. He must have activities to keep his interest - book to read, homework to do, gameboy to play with, etc. . .

4. He must repeat his rules to me whenever we go. If I suspect that it is not a "good" day for him to be at the DZ, we will visit for a bit and I will leave without jumping. This has not yet been an issue, but if it ever is, I will certainly go.

I am lucky in that my kid is very well-behaved when we are there and all the instructors and most of the regulars know him. I also won't stay very long at after-hours parties when he is with me because after a few drinks people can get out of hand, so I will socialize a little with him in tow - he will take pics of everyone having a good time, then we usually leave or go out to dinner with a smaller group.

I like seeing kids on the DZ. . .makes it more of a family atmosphere. There are other kids on the DZ at Elsinore who are regulars. It is nice. Of course, the atmosphere is very homey at Elsinore anyway. . .

________________________________________
Take risks not to escape life… but to prevent life from escaping. ~ A bumper sticker at the DZ
FGF #6
Darcy

[freeflygoddess 0]

Yeah, i can see bringing kids who are older to the DZ, and even taking my kids to play on the swing sets, but not while I am jumping, maybe when they are older and I trust them to leave them to play in the spectators area, even though I would still ask someone to keep an eye on them...but not right now, too little, their attention span is so short that one min they are watching TV the next they are off being quiet, and you know what useually happens when kids are quiet, they are either asleep or getting into trouble...

[tigra 0]

Those are great rules which should be published and adhered to at every dz!

[pajarito 0]

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1. Stay behind the yellow line. . .this is the spectator area and a good place to be.

As with anything in life, how the hell do you learn anything from "behind the yellow line." If your son is 11, he should be well on his way to being proficient at packing your parachute for you. You've got to get your kids involved. I want mine to be an athelete....not an athletic supporter.

[freeflygoddess 0]

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he should be well on his way to being proficient at packing your parachute for you.

I don't know if I ever want my kids to touch my rig, ever...you never know what you did to piss them off that they are hiding from you, just to take their revenge elsewhere without you knowing....that would be scarey....lol...no really I wouldn't want my kids packing unless they truelly wanted to learn, then I would teach them, and yeah that is a great job for those that are not old enough to jump, but are responsiable enough to do so...I know a few teenagers that are packers. I know of a jumper that started packing and saved that money to learn to skydive later on. 11 though is too young to pack.

[bsoder 0]

We bring our kids to the DZ almost every time we go. However, when we're jumping, we either take turns or we have a babysitter watching them. As has been mentioned before, it depends on the DZ - we're very fortunate in that ours is kid-friendly.

[pajarito 0]

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he should be well on his way to being proficient at packing your parachute for you.

I don't know if I ever want my kids to touch my rig, ever...you never know what you did to piss them off that they are hiding from you, just to take their revenge elsewhere without you knowing....that would be scarey....lol...no really I wouldn't want my kids packing unless they truelly wanted to learn, then I would teach them, and yeah that is a great job for those that are not old enough to jump, but are responsiable enough to do so...I know a few teenagers that are packers. I know of a jumper that started packing and saved that money to learn to skydive later on. 11 though is too young to pack.

My interest grew because I was emersed in it. It was expected that, if I was going to hang around the DZ, I was going to learn everything about it. I think my interest was far greater and long-lasting because I wasn't kept behind the yellow line. I could pack well before I could jump. Just an idea. By the way, that doesn't just apply to skydiving.

[freeflygoddess 0]

yep Coolidge is very kid friendly, and I know you two take your kids to the DZ all the time, the owner does as well. No biggie there, because there is someone watching them. Just not all DZs are like that though and kids really should not be there, well younger kids...I think older kids that have longer attention spans might do better, but still is it really a place for kids? Do others mind that your kids are there? I know of some people that were at Coolidge that mentioned to me that it really bothered them to see kids there. I am not sure if they still go there or not, but I remember them talking about it. I know lots of people that don't have kids don't want kids that even get pissed when people take their kids to a restraunt or a movie that isn't a family movie. That actually really bothers me when I see little kids at a movie past 7pm, they should be at home in bed not watching a three hour long movie, that doesn't interest them to begin with like Titantic...I mean really what is in that movie that a 5 year old would enjoy? Would a 5 year old actually sit still and watch that movie? No way. They might watch Scoobie Doo, but not some love story... I hate that...

[pajarito 0]

Of course, I’m not talking about having kids around after dark or at parties. I’m also not talking about infants but that doesn’t bother me either. As for people watching them, I was watched and taken care of by most of the people there. Today, if someone else’s kid walks up to me while I’m packing or walking off the DZ, I answer their questions and might even try and teach them something. The kids are our future skydivers. I might tell them to watch stepping over the lines or to take their coke can a good distance away from my parachute. But that’s not a big deal. ]