Gaming convention Ettiquette.

[garhkal]

Here is a link to a thread over on an ADND site (Dragons foot) where we are discussing whether it is proper ettiquette for a parent of a small kid at a convention to just be able to use anyone's table, even one in the dealer room where people are selling stuff, to change the diaper of his or her kid on.

What gets my goat, is some (those who ARE parents) seem to feel everyone else just needs to STFU and suck it up.

http://www.dragonsfoot.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=55612

Is it me (and yes i am a single guy with no kids), but is that the height of snobbishness.

[Sigma]

Isn't that why there are changing stations in the bathrooms?

It's a question of public hygiene. I don't take a leak in the potted plants just because it's more convenient. ;D

[Peter Smith]

Yeah...no. Change a baby on my table in the dealer's hall? That. Won't. Fly. Hell, I let my sister-in-law the only place that was acceptable for her to change her son was in our bathroom, rather than on the floor in plain sight of everybody at the party.

[Ajax_Wolf]

I'll make it 4-0. This ain't breast feeding, it involves fecal matter, so off to the restroom you go.

[Orin J.]

this isn't con etiquette so much as it is basic public etiquette, you really should NOT be changing diapers outside of nearby restrooms. i understand that the convention hall is crowded and it will take you a little time to get to the restrooms, but the convention hall is crowded because there are a lot of other people in it.

you don't change diapers in the convention hall for the same reason you don't skip showering during the convention. it's terribly disrespectful.

[Marwynn]

Some people just lack sense.

What made that parent think that table was clean enough to change their baby on? It's bad, for everyone. Maybe there are extenuating circumstances, but this seems like laziness and stupidity.

[Stormlion1]

Some people need a kick in the rear, and learn some basic ettiquette. Nobody wants to see, or smell that.

[ColBosch]

It has less to do with etiquette than, as was mentioned, with health and safety. Baby changing stations aren't just for convenience. They're also there so that the waste is confined to a marked and recognized place. I've seen plenty of people snacking as they pass through cons; should they be exposed to undue risk of infection because a parent is too lazy (yes, that's exactly the word) to find a bathroom?

Comparing it to breastfeeding is absolutely asinine. Breastfeeding is just the baby snacking, and let's face it: we've all seen nipples. It's clean, it's pretty self-contained, and it's fine anywhere. Not so with changing a diaper. It's not because society is squeamish; it's because feces carry disease.

[I am Belch II]

Some of the people at the game conventions really really need to learn some ettiquette.
Try the 1, 2, 3 rule.

1-Shower
2-good meals
3-hours of sleep at least.

Now some of the people don't believe in some of that. We all know them.

[Damage Inc.]

Some of the people at the game conventions really really need to learn some ettiquette.
Try the 1, 2, 3 rule.

1-Shower
2-good meals
3-hours of sleep at least.

Now some of the people don't believe in some of that. We all know them.

Per day, or per week? :D

[Fireangel]

Showering at a convention?  ???

People do that?  ::)

[Peter Smith]

Try the 1, 2, 3 rule.

Never heard it as the 1-2-3, always heard it as the 1-2-6 Rule. Three hours of sleep? Not good, not good at all.

[ShadowRaven]

Thou Shalt NOT change thy child's nappy in public. For it is rude, unhealthy, and shows they utter incompetence in raising a child.

Breastfeeding is different. Though one should cover up with the burping towel before wiping anything out in public, but changeing a child in a public place. Dude that's just wrong.

[Prillotashekta]

OOh, how about an analogy:
Changing a baby's diaper in public like that is akin to an adult plopping a bucket down in the middle of the room, dropping your trousers, and, well... you know the rest.

[FelixTheCrazy]

It's called a feeling of entitlement. Some people think that just because they were successful at breeding that they have some special "card" to give them extra rights.

I for damn sure would have never intruded on someones else's very public space to change a diaper. Of if I had no choice I would have at least gotten permission.

[Frabby]

I take the reference to a rest room 50 feet away to mean that restroom was free (or at least didn't have much of a queue), and of adequate hygiene.
It seems like an easy choice between changing diapers in the bathroom versus changing on a table in the middle of a trade fair, and the way the OP described it, I'd call it inappropriate behaviour on behalf of the parent because there is nothing in the description indicating mitigating circumstances.

Of course, I may not know everything about the situation. It is easy to imagine good reasons for doing what that parent did. Only none are mentioned in the initial description of the event.

[ColBosch]

I take the reference to a rest room 50 feet away to mean that restroom was free (or at least didn't have much of a queue), and of adequate hygiene.
It seems like an easy choice between changing diapers in the bathroom versus changing on a table in the middle of a trade fair, and the way the OP described it, I'd call it inappropriate behaviour on behalf of the parent because there is nothing in the description indicating mitigating circumstances.

Of course, I may not know everything about the situation. It is easy to imagine good reasons for doing what that parent did. Only none are mentioned in the initial description of the event.

If the bathroom was packed, the lady could've asked the people working if she could use an area outside the immediate con area. I've seen friends do just that, and it's usually no problem.

[StoneRhino]

This is why I hate Angel Stadium, and have a growing dislike of the ways of Angel's fans. Last season my entire family got together and went to an Angels game, which was cool. The problem was, aside from the small hotdogs, the small seats(3 guys side by side where each of our shoulders hang over the side of our seats= cramped!), there was a family sitting next to me. They had a baby with them.


I was sitting there and had just finished my hotdog when I looked to the side a bit more then I had to. I like to check the crowd to see what they are up to, but what I noticed was that the lady with the baby next to me was actually changing the baby's diaper. I don't know about you guys, but I do not want to be sitting a foot away from someone that is trying to change a dirty, crap filled, diaper, especially when she is working in cramped conditions! She just did not care. She could not be bothered to get off her butt and head to one of the nearby bathrooms to change her baby, she just thought it would be cool to pop that thing open full of smelly crap and risk dropping it, or hitting someone else with what is basically a pile of crap.

I'm single, I have no kids, but I do have an ounce of class and concern for others nearby. It was disgusting and completely lazy. There is no reason anyone should be changing a baby's diaper out in the open like that, especially when you are packed in there with a lot of people that are eating and trying to enjoy the game. I don't care if you have kids, get up and deal with disposing of bodily waste in the appropriate area.

Whats really disgusting is not only are they changing their baby right there, that people are eating or just trying to relax, not just that we have to smell it, but the idea that she did not wash her hands nor dispose of the diaper is sickening. There is zero reasons as to why she should have done that right then and there, zero. Her husband could have watched the kids while she went to take care of that in the bathroom. They bathrooms are fitted with the tables for that. There is soap and hot water to wash your hands. There are places to throw the dirty diaper away.

Anyone trying to say that people just have to deal with that are just being dirty and lazy. They have no consideration for anyone but themselves. Also, if you are going to a convention, why the hell are you taking little children with you? Kids or teens that are into the same stuff, okay, cool, as long as they know how to keep their trap shut, don't scream and cry, and are potty trained. If they are neither, they really should be left with a sitter. Sorry if you cannot find or afford one, that sucks, but there is no need to crap all over, and quit possibly literally, everyone else's good time who shelled out their own "just as green" cash for their pass.

Convention ettiquette should dictate that children that need such levels of care should be left at home. If they are not within the recommended age for those to play with the stuff there, they probably shouldn't be there cause its a choking hazard for them. That and little kids have sticky fingers, figuratively and literally.

[M-Rex]

The surest way to ruin any situation, social or otherwise, is the injection of kids into it.  O0

[GRUD]

My first job was in a Yorx Steak House, first as a dishwasher, then as a busboy/part-time dishwasher.   One time while busing tables I saw a woman changing her baby at her table.   #P  I can't remember if it was ON the table or on the bench set, but still...  Nasty, nasty, nasty.  And I'm Pretty Sure we had one of those changing tables in the women's restroom.  Again, Pure Lazy.  :P  People like that really Shouldn't breed.

[StoneRhino]

The surest way to ruin any situation, social or otherwise, is the injection of kids into it.  O0

Thats the damn truth. Sure, sometimes they are funny, but for every funny thing that they do there are at least 10 things that really ruin things. But as you mentioned, just their presence ruins things. Gotta watch your language, watch where you're walking, put up with their noise, or the noise of the parent that is babbling on about their kids. You know you don't care what they are saying. They know that you don't care about what they are saying, yet they go on and on about it either way. You can't be rude because they won't get it and shut up about it, but you also cannot say something kinda nice to just try and get them to get past the story they are saying already. Why? Because they take it that you care about their story about what their kid did and go on about even more stuff you don't give a damn about!!!

If its not disneyland, leave the kiddies at home, or just don't go. Sure, you might not have a good time by not attending. By not attending with your kids at your side you know you are not going to have a good time, but you make sure that everyone else there is going to have a good time. By attending with your kids you have ensured that not only are others not going to have a good time, but you are also not going to have a good time. Why? Because you are at something with your kids that is not intended for kids! They are just going to get bored and bug you and everyone else with their whining, pouting, and crying. Save us all a bit of trouble and don't go.

Same thing is true of R rated movies, do not go! Don't be that selfish parent, just wait for it to come out at a redbox kiosk, netflix, on demand, dvd/bluray, or on tv.  Save everyone the trouble! Also, think about it, you can stop and rewind if needed which is something you cannot do when your crying baby is going off and you eventually break down and take it outside like you should have 5 minutes ago!  ;D

[Moonsword]

This topic is closed, ladies and gentlemen.