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Unsupervised Children
It’s getting late. The sun has gone down. The drums are on, and the dancing is hot. And your vendors are packing it all in and heading out early.
‘Why?’ you ask? There are still several competitions, giveaways, specials, and ticket drawings to go. Maybe a few more social dances.
What likely has chased your vendors out is the unsupervised children who set up a game of rugby out and behind the vendor area. Or a game of tag (by throwing a water bottle at another kid). Or “Let’s run through all the vendor booths!” Or if there is just dirt out back, “Let’s kick up as big of a cloud of dust as we can!!” This week it was a game of three-way football with two American footballs and a soccer ball in the dark, past a generator or two and several extension cords leading to booths. Until they packed.
It’s pretty obvious that any potential customers aren’t thrilled with the yelling, noise and potential of getting run over by this wild herd. They have abandoned the vendors’ ghetto a long time ago.
I know: Children are our future. They have lots of energy to run off. Making up games are part of our culture. I get all that.
But is part of “our” shared culture ruining the livelihood of vendors who have worked long and hard to bring their art and craft to your event? Is part of “our” culture making vendors pay a fee only to be babysitters for those parents unwilling or unable to keep track of their children after dark? Is it part of “our” culture not instilling enough discipline in the youth that they will sit and watch the pow wow and not go join the roughhouse gang out behind the vendors area as soon as you turn your back?
You walk your vendor area during the gourd dance and realize that there are empty spots, a lack of anything new and interesting and that vendor that you wanted to talk to about a commission piece just isn’t there. Maybe they got tired of having to clean the dust off of everything after your event. Maybe they had their canopy frame destroyed by a phalanx of kids running after a ball. Maybe they wanted to hear the drums and singers, but not the screaming kids.
Maybe they just got tired of paying for the “privilege” of being your unwilling babysitters, and your pow wow has hit the list of ‘never again’ events.
‘Why?’ you ask? There are still several competitions, giveaways, specials, and ticket drawings to go. Maybe a few more social dances.
What likely has chased your vendors out is the unsupervised children who set up a game of rugby out and behind the vendor area. Or a game of tag (by throwing a water bottle at another kid). Or “Let’s run through all the vendor booths!” Or if there is just dirt out back, “Let’s kick up as big of a cloud of dust as we can!!” This week it was a game of three-way football with two American footballs and a soccer ball in the dark, past a generator or two and several extension cords leading to booths. Until they packed.
It’s pretty obvious that any potential customers aren’t thrilled with the yelling, noise and potential of getting run over by this wild herd. They have abandoned the vendors’ ghetto a long time ago.
I know: Children are our future. They have lots of energy to run off. Making up games are part of our culture. I get all that.
But is part of “our” shared culture ruining the livelihood of vendors who have worked long and hard to bring their art and craft to your event? Is part of “our” culture making vendors pay a fee only to be babysitters for those parents unwilling or unable to keep track of their children after dark? Is it part of “our” culture not instilling enough discipline in the youth that they will sit and watch the pow wow and not go join the roughhouse gang out behind the vendors area as soon as you turn your back?
You walk your vendor area during the gourd dance and realize that there are empty spots, a lack of anything new and interesting and that vendor that you wanted to talk to about a commission piece just isn’t there. Maybe they got tired of having to clean the dust off of everything after your event. Maybe they had their canopy frame destroyed by a phalanx of kids running after a ball. Maybe they wanted to hear the drums and singers, but not the screaming kids.
Maybe they just got tired of paying for the “privilege” of being your unwilling babysitters, and your pow wow has hit the list of ‘never again’ events.
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