I bowl every sub in a mixed league and one girl brings her infant down to the bowlers area every weekthis drives me nuts some body is going step on the kid or kick it or something I dont think it is safe. What would you guys do?

Discuss
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Mainzerpower

Infants do not belong in the bowling alley, period.  Not only is there the injury risk, but also all the people who like to touch babies with their grubby bowling hands and get them sick.  That being said, I have a 6 year old daughter who has grown up around bowling and bowls in a kids league.  She has been taught from an early age to respect what people are doing at the lanes, and that if she comes to watch me bowl, she sits down with whatever she brought with her and is quiet.  The responsibility here lies with the parents to teach their kids that the other bowlers in the league are not like free babysitting for the night, you need to look after your own kid, and if you can't handle that then you should not bring them there in the first place!  I find it rewarding when my daughter watches me do something special at the lanes, and I enojy her company, but to the parents who do not watch their kids, please leave them home with the babysitter!
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MainePBA (Also known as MaineLefty)

I sure hope nobody mistakes the baby for their spare ball and throws he/she down the lane!!!!
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The 10 pin is the enemy!!!!!!!!!!!!

I would never bring an infant to the bowling center period during league or open play because my center allows smoking.  Virginia still has not outlawed smoking from bowling centers.  I would not an infant to inhale the smoke.

If they did not allow smoking, I would not bring them to league because it would be a distraction and a safety hazard.
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Ken - aka "dpunky"

"Now rolling Hammer and Storm"
Too Cool for School

I understand.  I hate kids in the bowlers' area too.  You never know what they are going to do,when they are going to shout out.  They just don't belong in the bowlers' area.  I don't care how old they are.  If they are infants then you have all the crap needed to keep them happy in the bowlers' area too.  And when they are unhappy and tired the relentless screaming is near torture.  The mother is distracted and not watching when she's supposed to bowl and often the father is too.  You are absolutely right that it is very dangerous.  Toddlers get their hands in between the balls in the return, run up behind you, get up on the approach.  And babies are sitting on what is most times less then secure perches on the benching area or surrounding counters.  If they are on the floor then they are in danger of getting stepped on and tripped over.  I really don't know why a  parent would think of putting their infant in that kind of situation.  


Both our leagues have rules that say all children, including infants, are to be kept out of the bowlers' area.  This usually means the seating up on the concourse, which is fine to some extent, until the parents start carting in  play pens, toys etc...... basically taking up the entire area behind the lanes too.  

When my folks bowled, we had a sitter.  Don't know why that's changed now.  My folks would never have brought us kids to a bowling alley at night, which is basically a tavern or pool hall with bowling.  We had bedtimes and no matter if my folks were home or not, we had to adhear to them.  

My suggestion would be to approach the President and request a league meeting where the officers (not you) bring this issue up as a problem and vote to have all children out of the sette area.  They should be on the concourse only and if the parents need to watch them closely then they need to be on the concourse too.  It is not your job to actually verbalize the situation in the meeting.  That is why you have officers.  

To all those that are parents that are now going to argue upon these points.  Keep in mind that your kids are only cute and tolerable to YOU.  

Erin