[JoeyO]

There's two things at crowded car shows (like the NY Auto Show yesterday) that pisses me off:

1) Little 10 year olds who feel the need to sit in every car and play with every single radio knob & button, while their parent stands outside the car and while I stand outside waiting to go into the car myself. I don't blame the kids, I blame their goof-ball parents who see me standing there, anxiously breathing down on the glass, and do nothing about hurrying their little kid out of the driver's seat. At the NY Auto Show, I must have said to a dozen kids while they exited the cars, "So what'd ya think? Are you going to buy one?" They didn't get my humor.

2) Secondly, why on earth would a parent bring a kid in a stroller to an Auto show? I'm particularly talking about the NY Auto Show where it is always crowded to the max, wall to wall people. I almost wacked a few small kids in strollers when opening car doors. You can't see the strollers when opening the door. Another thing I have to worry about: little fingers getting caught in the closing doors. There are so many people going in and out of the cars, one of these days somebody is going to lose a finger, if they haven't already.

I think it's great that parents share their enthusiasm for automobiles at these auto shows. But perhaps the auto shows should set an age limit or at the very least, have one day that's child-free. That's just my opinion. It separates the people like myself who go purposely to cross compare different manufactures from people who go to play with all the knobs and radio buttons (and also steal them by evidence of so many of them missing from yesterday's vehicles). If this was done, it would cut my visit time in half. Plus, maybe Porsche would actually keep their vehicles unlocked, rather than have them locked to keep out the little kids who they know would ultimately destroy the interiors.

Rant over.

By the way, some of the smoking hawt models in the tight leather clad outfits almost made up for the aggravation yesterday. Almost.

[BMW269]

Yes I know, me too I hat it. I was at Geneva Show last month, and it was thesame with the kids. They srcatch the leather seats, pull off the buttons,... I just hate it. The worste part was that I was not allowed to go on the Maserati/Ferrari stand, while the kids of those parents that were on the platform just vandalised those cars. I guess Ferrari/Maserati doens't care when rich people kids handle the exposed cars badly. For them it is worse when a respectful dreamer sits carefully in the car.

[NewYearsBoy]

I blame the parents for not watching the kids closely... I like to see kids at car shows.

[DieselDiner]

There's nothing wrong with the kids being there if the parents are monitering them and teaching them how to behave. As you noticed, the parents aren't doing any parenting, but allowing the little runts to run rampant.

The kids would be virtually invisible if the parents were teaching them how to behave, and insisting on proper discipline.

Remember this when you have kids, and be the kind of parent that insists on his children knowing how to behave and how to respect property. Otherwise, your kids will be the ones about whom all the other adults are bitching.

[Sylon]

Originally Posted by DieselDiner

There's nothing wrong with the kids being there if the parents are monitering them and teaching them how to behave. As you noticed, the parents aren't doing any parenting, but allowing the little runts to run rampant.

The kids would be virtually invisible if the parents were teaching them how to behave, and insisting on proper discipline.

Remember this when you have kids, and be the kind of parent that insists on his children knowing how to behave and how to respect property. Otherwise, your kids will be the ones about whom all the other adults are bitching.

+1


Being from Detroit the automotive industry is a big deal in my family and it started for me at a very young age. I know its not always the case, but if you want to get your kids to have a passion for cars, take them to a car show. Sometimes these families couldn't get a babysitter which may be the case for most of those families at the NY show, but others take their kids there in hopes that they will catch the same passion for cars that they and most of us have already.

[kyleb350]

Originally Posted by Sylon

+1


Being from Detroit the automotive industry is a big deal in my family and it started for me at a very young age. I know its not always the case, but if you want to get your kids to have a passion for cars, take them to a car show. Sometimes these families couldn't get a babysitter which may be the case for most of those families at the NY show, but others take their kids there in hopes that they will catch the same passion for cars that they and most of us have already.

Feels good helping pass the car bug onto my nephew when taking him to car shows.

[Biff Grissel]

theres a difference between asshole parents with annoying asshole kids and parents of respectable kids. asshole kids are annoying anywhere not just carshows. parents bring their kids to car shows or any other shows for the obvious reason that they are a family and u cant just leave ur kids @ home as much as u or they might want 2. i have a 7yo daughter and another girl on the way and my girl loves 2 go 2 car shows/dog shows/drags,any thing im into basically she is also. and i love seeing the enthusiam for my passions in my daughter,and i would imagine most other families are not that much different. the difference is my child will never sit in a vehicle she has no reason to sit in, or play wit any knobs or do anything she has no place doing and neither should other peoples kids....so next time if u want to ask someone a smart ass question why dont u ask the kids father why his son/daughter is such a pain in the ass? kids are kids and naturally have no respect or understanding of the significance of a new vehicle or any other material object for that matter unless taught 2 do so by the person that should be providing that guidance for them...thats just my 2 cents.

[Impervious]

It always blows my mind to see kids at Cars & Coffee running their hands all over the cars while their parents are oblivious or simply don't care.

[MikeyV]

I've been going to car shows for as long as I can remember, many of you probably did too. It's one of the reasons why I like cars, my dad likes them, we went to shows and motorsports events whenever we could. I take my sons to car shows as well, they both like cars.

[MikeRR]

I think there is no problem to bring kids to car shows as long as they can behave.
I was once at a boat show and saw some dumb little asshole kid tapping with a little hammer (why the hell did he have a this anyway?!) against a 750k$ boat.
And yes I hate it when kids touch the cars. My dad always tought me "look with your eyes not with your hands".

[BMW269]

Yes problem is the kids behavior, not the kids them selves. Next time I'll slap all parents that let their kid running wild.

[OBI_agent]

I think it would be a great business idea to open mobile babysitting booths for big events like these.

[Bimmer-Bob]

I really don't understand the problem. you're mad that you have to wait in line and "share" the cars with the kids? Get over yourself.

Frankly, I don't understand people who complain about the presence of kids out in the world, or kid's "bad behavior," when usually it's just a case of kids being kids. I'm guessing you don't have any.

[Biff Grissel]

Originally Posted by OBI_agent

I think it would be a great business idea to open mobile babysitting booths for big events like these.

+1!!!!!

[dcgolfdr]

Originally Posted by Bimmer-Bob

I really don't understand the problem. you're mad that you have to wait in line and "share" the cars with the kids? Get over yourself.

Frankly, I don't understand people who complain about the presence of kids out in the world, or kid's "bad behavior," when usually it's just a case of kids being kids. I'm guessing you don't have any.

+1

[Arben72]

I totally agree with strollers. Bringing them is a terrible idea. I agree that children under 8. But over 8 there are some car enthusiast. I mean my cousin is 12 and knows more about BMW's then the dealers do. He also can spot an exotic a mile away. Just because there young doesn't mean they can't respect stuff that isn't there's. That just means they were brought up wrong.

[pokerface]

it's a family event. ie., like going to the zoo. OP, if you wanted to check out cars in more detail, why not drop by dealerships WHILE the autoshow is on?

[Jet96]

X2 I was always complimented on both my boys behavior at shows. Kids are energetic but just need alittle guidance as to what's expected of them. FWIW, they both looove cars and trucks of every stripe.

[MediaArtist]

Originally Posted by Bimmer-Bob

I really don't understand the problem. you're mad that you have to wait in line and "share" the cars with the kids? Get over yourself.

Frankly, I don't understand people who complain about the presence of kids out in the world, or kid's "bad behavior," when usually it's just a case of kids being kids. I'm guessing you don't have any.

+1.

They're just kids. I can't believe people actually complain about them sitting in a Maserati/Ferrari that they don't even own. It's just a car for crying out loud. One can imagine how they might actually act if someone's kid touched one that they did own.

[DevJ]

Originally Posted by MediaArtist

+1.

They're just kids. I can't believe people actually complain about them sitting in a Maserati/Ferrari that they don't even own. It's just a car for crying out loud. One can imagine how they might actually act if someone's kid touched one that they did own.

agreed. when i was a little 10 yr old i wasn't a shithead. i loved going to car shows and looking around..these little guys are just the next generation of car lovers.

[BMW72]

Originally Posted by JoeyO

There's two things at crowded car shows (like the NY Auto Show yesterday) that pisses me off:

1) Little 10 year olds who feel the need to sit in every car and play with every single radio knob & button, while their parent stands outside the car and while I stand outside waiting to go into the car myself. I don't blame the kids, I blame their goof-ball parents who see me standing there, anxiously breathing down on the glass, and do nothing about hurrying their little kid out of the driver's seat. At the NY Auto Show, I must have said to a dozen kids while they exited the cars, "So what'd ya think? Are you going to buy one?" They didn't get my humor.

2) Secondly, why on earth would a parent bring a kid in a stroller to an Auto show? I'm particularly talking about the NY Auto Show where it is always crowded to the max, wall to wall people. I almost wacked a few small kids in strollers when opening car doors. You can't see the strollers when opening the door. Another thing I have to worry about: little fingers getting caught in the closing doors. There are so many people going in and out of the cars, one of these days somebody is going to lose a finger, if they haven't already.

I think it's great that parents share their enthusiasm for automobiles at these auto shows. But perhaps the auto shows should set an age limit or at the very least, have one day that's child-free. That's just my opinion. It separates the people like myself who go purposely to cross compare different manufactures from people who go to play with all the knobs and radio buttons (and also steal them by evidence of so many of them missing from yesterday's vehicles). If this was done, it would cut my visit time in half. Plus, maybe Porsche would actually keep their vehicles unlocked, rather than have them locked to keep out the little kids who they know would ultimately destroy the interiors.

Rant over.

By the way, some of the smoking hawt models in the tight leather clad outfits almost made up for the aggravation yesterday. Almost.

OP= Typical BMW D-bag

[py0413]

this reminds me of a high school buddy who got SLAPPED TWICE on his balls at an autoshow we went to nearly 16 years ago. One by an old man in a corvette and one by a young fellow(6-8yr maybe) in a Jaguar. I can still remember his face with all the pain especially after that 2ND SLAP. LOL