what annoys you about kids in a lfs

[Paul_MTS]

Pesky Kids!!

 

[jflowers]

Think you are all [EDIT: ok maybe not all] being a little unfair, do you NEVER see well behaved kids? or just not notice them. My two children (8 and 10 year olds) love going to lfs's and know that they should never point at the tank, get too close or rush about. Its quite comical when one says "oh, look at that one" and you ask which one and they start wagging thier head in its general direction to try and point it out

That being said, we do have tanks at home and they know not to run up or make sudden movements near the tank. Anyway, keep your eye out, thier are SOME good kids out thier.

Jon

 

[k2snowboards88]

Other

The only thing that bothers me is that they come in with their families. So every time they look at a fish theres like 5 people next to them taking up all the space. It makes it a pain in the ass to get by and to look at any of the tanks within 5 feet of them.

 

[sub.42]

He he! Mine just make a b-line for the huge Malawi display tank at my LFS, and then I have to try to explain that, as pretty as it is the tank would cost me £2500 to set up!

Kinda makes them jump a bit! They already know not to bang tanks, and run about upsetting people. My Son impresses the owner by telling him that his cichlasoma something-of-others are very nice examples of the type!

My little girl (two and a half), just sits and watches the giant Gourami, and his tank-buster mates.

Well trained I say. They behave as I would expect other kids to behave. Simple. After all, I could never select my next inhabitants with all that din going on....You will never get a problem with my little people. The exception rather than the rule I must say however.

Sub.

 

[jflowers]

Other

The only thing that bothers me is that they come in with their families. So every time they look at a fish theres like 5 people next to them taking up all the space. It makes it a pain in the ass to get by and to look at any of the tanks within 5 feet of them.

Keeping fish should involve the family, whats wrong with that? It is educational for children to be involved, why else would so many classrooms have tanks?

Jon

 

[Paul_MTS]

It's annoying how some families make it the family outing...the zoos are for that!!

In a busy fish house the last thing you need is a big group of people blocking the run way!!

I do notice the kids that behave but this topic is to complain about the litle crap that make ourlives miseries whilst in there!!

 

[gale]

When I go to the lfs 99% of the time I have THREE kids with me. My kids are 5, 7 and 9. They know they are NOT to ever run or shout in any store, especially a crowded fish store, and they especially know they cannot tap on any fishtank. In fact they don't even touch the tanks-they just look. I can trust them in the fishtank area while I get other stuff like food, etc. without my being in there with them. They're always pretty good in there. Oh not to mention if one does anything even remotely bad I can count on the other two to tattle on them immediately.

Everyone tells me how well my kids behave but they sure seem bratty to me.

eta: i just saw the posts about how people don't like it when the whole gang shows up at the store. I have no one to watch my kids so I have no choice-they go everywhere with me. We homeschool so they aren't gone during the day either. I would give just about anything (seriously) if I could go shopping more often by myself. But it's not gonna happen. The best I can do is make sure my kids behave when we do go.

 

[k2snowboards88]

Keeping fish should involve the family, whats wrong with that? It is educational for children to be involved, why else would so many classrooms have tanks?

Jon

Theres nothing wrong with it. But its still damn annoying having a posse of children and adults staring at one tank, rather than just one person. With the whole posse you have to ask them to move just to see whats in the tank, or whats in the tank next to it. Its damn annoying

 

[sylvia]

Everything that has been said is true IMO. However... Though I know there are exceptions (mainly the kids of knowledgable and/or responsible fish-keepers), most kids are down right brats with absolutely no respect for the fish. I often see children at my LFSs (good ones and bad ones) running, shouting, doing the 'nemo thing' (which seriously p***** me off) and, the worst for me, tapping on the glass. I also hate hearing teenagers talk about killing fish or making fun of them and know-it-all parents getting annoyed if you tell their kids to leave the fish alone 'oh it won't hurt them' or ' don't worry, goldy's used to it, fish don't mind' or something stupid like that. The fact that they are stressed out, cramped and often sick doesn't cross their minds at all. What I also absolutely hate is when a child starts begging for an 8" bala shark and the parent starts considering buying the fish for the brat and keeping it in a 10 gallon... Worse still is when you see the various incompatible or unsuitable fish being bought and, no matter how hard you try to disuade them, you see them leave the shop with a RTBS, rams, a goldfish, 7 zebra danios (they're on offer - buy 7 for £something or whatever), 2 neon tetras, 4 opaline gouramies, 3 guppies (2 males and female) and a couple of silver dollars... all for a 5 gallon, uncycled tank because the spoiled child decided to cry and wine and scream for them. The worst part of it is knowing what the fish are destined for. Now I know that was harsh but I'm kind of biased cause I never liked kids much Having said that, I know some are very well-behaved and wouldn't purposefuly harm any fish but they are rare. Of course I am not surprised members on this board have such kids because I think it's safe to say most of us want the best for the fish and would like our kids to be the same. It's a great shame that this is the exception rather than the rule though.

 

[jflowers]

I agree that it is the exception rather than the rule. My last (really? well ok, maybe not) word would be to those that work in an lfs, top of my eldests christmas list was a fish tank, so he will now be a customer (with my supervision). I even posted a q asking what would be sensible fish for the tank I know he is getting from his grandparents. Though he is young, a good experience could turn him into a life long customer for an lfs that shows respect and understanding.

Jon

 

[Nenya]

Its not the children who are at fault, it's their parents who have no control over them. I hate it when they are shouting and running riot and the parents are taking no notice of them at all. I am pleased to say that I have had three children and could take them anywhere. The worrying thing is that this is the new generation which will eventually be running the country.

 

[Nenya]

Also, what ever happened to the saying 'Look with your eyes, not with your hands'

 

[jflowers]

The worrying thing is that this is the new generation which will eventually be running the country.

And they would do a worse job? hehe

 

[Erised]

Also, what ever happened to the saying 'Look with your eyes, not with your hands'

too true! then again ... I used to absolutely hate it when my parents told me that. So I can see why someone who got told that sentence would not use it again.

I do think most blame is with the parents, actually ... yesterday when visiting my local pet store, I saw this very cute girl and her dad. She was watching the fish and wandered of from her dad ... she was quiet, not tapping the glass at all or being annoying even slightly! That from a 3/4 year old! ... first thing I though was "aww, bless her! She is so well mannered, parents did something right there"... untill the dad shouted "Sharron! Get over here!" then even louder "Sharron! I'm here!!". The kid was only a couple of meters away, and you could probably here him on the other end of the shop! Also, when pointing out his fish, he did find it necessary to point/tap the glass. Proves it aint always the children that are bad now

 

[Danno]

The one day I was at Petsmart looking at all of the new dwarf cichlids that they got in off of thier trucks about an hour before I got thier. And I spotted one I really wanted and was talking to my parents about a cichlid tank and how they might even like them. (Dad was interested but my mom wasn't) And then all of a sudden a bus from down-town Albany came and thier were about 10 kids that ran over to the tanks and started sticking thier hands in the anglefish and oscar tank and tried to pick them up and pet them! And bielieve me...I wasn;t going to say anything beucase well...lets just say at 10 years old...they had knife and gun training already. So I left and went to a different LFS. It's funny where I live..40 miles west you get us hicks...40 miles east you get ghetto land. Very stand. And yes, kids sticking thier hands in the tank is probably the most agrivating thing that I saw..I meen...When I was 10 I didn't go and try to harrass the fish; and im 17 act like an adult..(my parents embarrass me sometimes though...dont they always )

oh well..