MaggieLou

My guild has an age limit of 50+ but it's in a senior center. Occasionally someone will bring a granddaughter or relative that is younger but that's not a problem. We don't have the small child issue but if that's your concern definitely put it in the bylaws that no children under a certain age are allowed. Small children can be disruptive and could get hurt. Some parents don't disipline their children as they should and allow them to run wild.

Innov8R

I think RST has some really good ideas. I also think that children 13+ who are interested in quilting should be permitted. Have you considered what your stance on newborns will be?

citruscountyquilter

Our guild does have a section of our bylaws that deals with age. A person needs to be 18 to join. This is not to discourage young quilters but rather a liability issue. We have rotary cutters, irons and such that can cause injury if not used properly. We didn't want to have to be responsible for a minor that might get hurt. This could also apply to children who are visiting I guess.

Monroe

My Guild hasn't had much of an issue so far. Some members bring their grandchildren on meeting nights to show projects they are working on, and there is lots of encouragement shown. The youngest has been about 8. Some of us have donated fabrics and scraps they need. One girl has brought a friend a time or two. On sit and sew type days the youngsters have come to iron, press, and sew and they love helping out wherever needed. A new member recently brought her infant who was as good as gold to a meeting when a sitter didn't show and there was much more adoring than disapproval. So- I think rules which include the 'interest in sewing' and 'disruptive' concepts are the best way to go.

tessagin

When I went as a guest to a guild I saw a sign that stated each "quilting interested child" must be accompanied by an adult and must be at least 10 years of age. They also needed to bring projects to work on and sit beside the "attending' member. Most meetings were held in the morning and on one Thursday out of the month. So that actually only left the summer months available. I was told some parents held "quilt dates" in their homes for the younger students. They formed their own 'little bees".

dc989

A number of years ago our guild wrote a provision in the by-laws that members had to be 18 plus because several members brought grandchildren to learn quilting. They paid member dues at a discounted rate during the summer months only. They were disruptive and members felt uncomfortable with them at the classes because of topics discussed and so on. The discussions were not inappropriate, just not kid friendly topics. Our classroom space is limited also. This was a membership decision, not a visit for one meeting.

Members occasionally bring a child with them, but our president is really on the ball and tells them before the meeting where they can take the child if they need to be taken out of the meeting. She is so diplomatic I doubt anyone is offended.

Bree123

What a wonderful problem to have! At age 39, I am one of the very youngest members of my guild (and I've never had children). On special occasions, people will bring granddaughters that are interested in quilting. They pay a guest fee for those children to join in & the kids (typically at least 10-11 years old) work alongside their grandmother. Those ladies get less done on those days because their focus is on spending time with their granddaughters. I hope to bring my niece to one of those sew-in's sometime this year. She is turning 5, but will patiently work with me on quilts usually for about 30 minutes at a time, provided we're not just doing one thing for 30 minutes. I know I need to plan to take breaks with her & even during those half-hour segments to keep changing what we're doing (drawing our design, picking fabrics, cutting out the applique shapes, layering piecing pieces, inking fabric, picking thread colors for FMQ & so forth) and stick to making something that's no larger than 24"x24". I don't plan to stay for the entire time; even with all that, we'll probably leave around lunchtime. I basically get nothing done when I work with her (or even with the 9-10 year olds I've taught to quilt). We work on her little quilt & that's it. I can't imagine trying to take her to a lecture-style meeting.

As a former teacher & nanny, I don't think it's typically reasonable to ask that children sit quietly without anything to do. Young children generally will sit quietly if they are actively engaged in a task & there is a new, engaging task roughly every X minutes (X= the child's age). For example, a 5 year old will typically be actively engaged in a single task for 5 minutes; after that, they will start get bored & it's only a matter of time until they start looking for something else to do, perhaps in a disruptive manner. It's not usually until the teenage years that the brain is developed enough to focus on a task for a longer period of time (and sometimes not even then).

Perhaps you could include some of the members who are parents of younger children in the decision-making process. If you explain that the Board has noticed that there are a number of young children coming to the meetings/workshops & you are looking for a way to make them feel more welcome & included, they may come up with a solution no one else thought of. You can bring up the safety issues (if any), or the fact that you know it's a lot to expect them to sit still and listen to an hour-long lecture (if that's the case), or whatever the case may be. If they are quilters, maybe give them a chance to share their quilts during show-and-tell time. I've seen instances at workshops where some ladies were frustrated that they didn't get to "quilt in quiet" warm up to the idea of working alongside of "noisy" young quilters after seeing a 10-year old girl proudly describe & present her project.

Onebyone

My sew group had a day kid's class for sewing and had to be accompanied by an adult. Some of the moms brought their child and a few more. And then the moms all got in a group and started talking among themselves letting the kids be supervised by us. We had pillowcase kits available and many of the girls were upset because one girl had purple kitties and then they all wanted purple kitties. Most of the girls just wanted to push and turn the buttons on the machines while we were showing them how to use it. We have never had another kid's sew class again. It's very overrated. LOL

cashs_mom

LOL. That made me laugh!

patricej

it seems many modern parents think the world is full of free babysitters.
they also seem to think the rest of us are supposed to put up with their failures to teach their children manners.
can you tell that i disagree with both of these perspectives?

guild business meetings are no place for little children.
well-mannered teenagers might have something to contribute so a guild might consider letting them become members if an adult sponsors and accompanies them to meetings.

if they are too young to sew they should not be allowed to attend either meetings or sew-days and similar activities.
if they are old enough to sew but are neither interested nor there for that reason they should also not be there.

nobody should have to "grin and bear" an ill-behaved child.