A friend of mine is separated from her partner. They have a 5 year old daughter.

He is an unemployed layabout and is bitter about pretty much everything in life, he loves to protest about everything, regardless of whether it affects him or not.

He’s taken my friend’s 5 year old along to the pensions protests in Glasgow today. He’s taken her to a protest before and she got quite scared and was upset.

My opinion is that you shouldn’t be taking a child to something like that when they are unable to understand what it’s about. It’s a pretty intimidating atmosphere for such a young child.

The father, on the other hand, says that children are the future and therefore they should be part of it.

Would you take your kid to a protest?

Too young for someone that age to understand. It’d just confuse them and they wouldn’t learn anything. No danger as far as I can see.

The worse neg is the child may see adults as angry, shouty and upset people.

i agree, it’s like taking a five year old to church… 😉

Yes, just not with

an unemployed layabout andwho is bitter about pretty much everything in life, hewho loves to protest about everything, regardless of whether it affects him or not.

I’ve seen a few young kids today holding placards and looking a bit bemused. I think people should leave their kids out of it if they’re too young to understand TBH, although I suppose they’re probably there because it’s that or stay at home with them.

depends on the protest but she did have a child with this naer do well what did she expect?

I’ve taken my kids on many protests, and they’re out on the march in Manchester with Mrs Daz right now. Most marches and protests I’ve been on have more of a carnival atmosphere than anything else so I have no worries on that score, and I think it very important that kids learn the concept of hating the tories 🙂

Personally I’d let them enjoy their childhood for as long as possible. At a very young age I learnt and understood what having little money in the house meant. I also learnt about nuclear winters and war (yeah thanks mum).

As such I worried alot. Too **** young. Children should be allowed to have a care free life. If you want to force adults agenda onto children- wait until they are in their teens. Worried that between the ages of 5 and 13 they may get left behind the times in the reactionary stakes? No. It doesn’t take years to learn about the ills of the world and it just puts stress and adult issues onto young shoulders.

After all, let countries like China indoctrinate children. Too young.

If I see kids in a march I think ‘not the time or place’.

Again peace but I had leftwing/anti-capitalism taught to me too young.

I agree with Hora

The father, on the other hand, says that children are the future

Michael Jackson is alive, well and living in Glasgae. I claim my £5.

Depends on the child, my kids (5&7) have asked why their favorite teachers aren’t going to be in school today and i’ve told them, as un-biased as i can, and they are broadly supportive, they are quite mature for their ages though. I would possibly consider taking them if they wanted to go but i would have to be prepared to leave at short notice if they felt uncomfortable, if i was determined to stay all day then i’d leave them behind.

I agree with Hora

+1

i agree, it’s like taking a five year old to church

should be fine the my folks took me for years and it didn’t make any difference 😈

Taking a kid to a well organised placard waving over concern about the future of a local paediatrics ward (for example) would be fine. No frayed tempers or brick throwing A-Level activists.

Taking a kid to something like an “anti-globalisation” protest; a cause so confused the objection can’t even be articulated used as an excuse for scarves over faces with a lot of shop smashing and such to stick it to the man, not so good.

IMO childhood is about playing in woods, having fun and never hearing your parents arguing over money or one say to you ‘I could be out of work soon little Sammy’.

Plenty of time to learn what a pension is. After all – it’ll just be a huge thing/concept that’ll just worry the little buggers 🙂

+2 for Hora.

5 year olds should be playing and having fun.

My 3 year old would be having fun at his gymnastics class right now but we arrived at the leisure centre to find it ring fenced by picketers so he’s crying instead, but strikers making kids cry is a different thread.

It depends

crankboy – Member

I agree with Hora
Tonight the world as we know it will end. So sorry it came down to this. ❗

Tonight the world as we know it will end. So sorry it came down to this

No no. We can’t have this. Right..

Look basically what I’m saying is the children shouldn’t go on a march as they should be cleaning chimneys or pickpocketing on Oxford St London- ie earning their keep in the house.

There. Sorted.