s/o ballpark guy, WDYT about Legoland rule?

[vanillacourage]

A Legoland recently opened in my city and apparently they have a rule that for an adult to enter, they must be accompanied by a child. The only way a Lego-loving grownup can go by themselves is on a special "adults only" night that they have every so often. I guess this rule (which may be nation-wide, IDK) is to deter creepers?

[heightsyankee]

I think it's a good rule. A boy was sexually assaulted in the bathroom at a public library in Houston last year by a known sex offender. He went during a time when he knew there would be a lot of kids there. The boy was 6 and his older brother was 9. They went to the bathroom together and the fucking sicko followed the little one in to the stall. The older brother was going to the bathroom and then realized what was going on and called for help. What a fucking mess. Always err on the side of caution where kids' safety in concerned.

[gpw]

I think it's a good rule, but I also thing that "Lego loving adult" sounds dirty. Maybe it's just me.

ETA: but to be fair...just because a person brings a kid with them doesn't mean they won't go and be a pervert with another kid...If you really want to do it bad enough, you'll find a way.

[Deleted]

May 23, 2012 10:02:53 GMT -5 gpw said:

I think it's a good rule, but I also thing that "Lego loving adult" sounds dirty. Maybe it's just me.

For some reason, adults-only night at Legoland makes me think it's just a plastic version of a furry convention.

[bigt1]

Would it be ok if Disneyland did this? I've gone a bunch of times as an adult and amazingly I've never felt the need to attack a child.

Are city parks next?

[Deleted]

IDK. I think this is completely and utterly lame-o.

So I don't get to see cool legoland shit unless I take my kid?? Plus, I know one lego loving adult and I'm pretty sure she'd like to go without being forced to drag her kids with her if she doesn't want to.

[sb]

There's a huge community of "Lego loving adults" (called AFOLs - adults fans of Lego). They make a lot of money off of them, so it seems like not a great business decision.

That said, I have no desire to go to Legoland, so maybe they're not losing out on a lot of business.

[meshaliuknits]

I'd be hot if I had to take a kid with me to Magic Mountain. Kid would just slow me down and be too short to go on anything good.

May 23, 2012 10:09:21 GMT -5 bigt1 said:

Would it be ok if Disneyland did this? I've gone a bunch of times as an adult and amazingly I've never felt the need to attack a child.

Are city parks next?

There are already parks around here where adults must be accompanied by a child. Not the good ones, usually the ones with just a little grass and something for short people to climb/slide on.

[gpw]

May 23, 2012 10:04:28 GMT -5 @angryharpy said:

May 23, 2012 10:02:53 GMT -5 gpw said:

I think it's a good rule, but I also thing that "Lego loving adult" sounds dirty. Maybe it's just me.

For some reason, adults-only night at Legoland makes me think it's just a plastic version of a furry convention.

that is exactly what I thought...

I guess I don't know what Legoland is. I am picturing a Chuck E Cheese type thing. Is it an amusement park? If so, then I really think the rule is lame.

[mominatrix]

May 23, 2012 10:09:21 GMT -5 bigt1 said:

Would it be ok if Disneyland did this? I've gone a bunch of times as an adult and amazingly I've never felt the need to attack a child.

Are city parks next?

ITA

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[Deleted]

also, I know a childless couple who would definately go to Legoland. They love all that kind of stuff.

Plus, are they unaware that many child molesters have children?

[Deleted]

I read about this same rule at our new Legoland. H is disappointed. Maybe that's why he wants to TTC soon...LOL

[sb]

Also, aren't the vast majority of child abductions and abuse cases committed by either parents or family members? I don't know if this is really a big deterrent.

[pescalita]

May 23, 2012 10:09:21 GMT -5 bigt1 said:

Would it be ok if Disneyland did this? I've gone a bunch of times as an adult and amazingly I've never felt the need to attack a child.

Are city parks next?

This. We've also been to the local kiddie zoo w/o kids, and seen the Lion King and Cars 2 in theaters.

Grown ups can't enjoy kid stuff w/o being pedophiles? Meanwhile, all a real pedo needs to do is find a kid to exploit who wants to go to Legoland. Security theater.

[heightsyankee]

May 23, 2012 10:14:08 GMT -5 gpw said:

May 23, 2012 10:04:28 GMT -5 @angryharpy said:

For some reason, adults-only night at Legoland makes me think it's just a plastic version of a furry convention.

that is exactly what I thought...

I guess I don't know what Legoland is. I am picturing a Chuck E Cheese type thing. Is it an amusement park? If so, then I really think the rule is lame.

It depends. This rule is probably a park-by-park basis. The San Diego LL is a full amusement park, but the Arlington TX one is just Lego building stuff with a couple small kiddie rides.

I think this is a good rule for Arlington, but probably not (and is probably not in place) in San Diego.

[statlerwaldorf]

I used to work at a place that catered to kids and we did have one incident of a child getting molested in a private family restroom. After they started keeping it locked and keeping the key at the registers, I don't believe they had any more incidents besides some creeper putting things in the bathrooms to catch little boy's pee.

I don't really agree with it. I can't be the only one who has grandparents meet up with us when we go to places like that. We don't always arrive at the same time due to schedules.

[imoan]

This reminds me of the FB friend I have (from The Knot actually) who went on a rant about how creepy it was that there were adults at the zoo without children. Apparently if you don't have kids... you're not allowed to have fun. It was nice to learn that, without children, I look like a child rapist if I want to have a little fun. Awesome!

[blindyswife]

May 23, 2012 10:09:21 GMT -5 bigt1 said:

Would it be ok if Disneyland did this? I've gone a bunch of times as an adult and amazingly I've never felt the need to attack a child.

Are city parks next?

Yeah, I'm with you. There are plenty of kiddie places that adults should be able to visit without rugrats. Can't I leave my kid at home when I go to Universal Studios? A childless couple can never visit the zoo? C'mon.

[marie427]

This is a slippery slope for sure and I don't think I like it.

HY brought up the public library situation above and I can speak about that a little bit more. Here, it varies within each branch location but in some of the locations, unattended adults get asked to leave the children's room. Exceptions are made for adults actually browsing the shelves for books to borrow or reading children's materials, but if you're just sitting there staring at the wall (or worse, at kids), you get asked to leave. I guess the reason I'm okay with that is because why the hell would an adult want to sit in a noisy children's room without a specific purpose (i.e. browsing materials)? But places like Legoland, zoos, Disneyland, etc. do appeal to many adults, and *gasp* not all of those adults are pedophiles.

But then you get in the business of trying to pick and choose which places would appeal to adults and which places wouldn't, and that's where the slippery slope comes in. At Legoland though, I'm inclined to think this is a bad policy. H teaches an elective Lego Robotics class at a middle school; he'd find a place like Legoland fun. Pretty sure H is not a pedophile.

[eliseb0323]

I will be surprised if a discrimination suit does NOT come out of this policy.

[OscarQ]

May 23, 2012 10:09:21 GMT -5 bigt1 said:

Are city parks next?

When I lived in London I walked past a city park every day that had a sign up saying adults could only enter if accompanied by a child. Seemed like a cool park but I couldn't check it out.

[Deleted]

May 23, 2012 10:54:29 GMT -5 marie427 said:

Here, it varies within each branch location but in some of the locations, unattended adults get asked to leave the children's room. Exceptions are made for adults actually browsing the shelves for books to borrow or reading children's materials, but if you're just sitting there staring at the wall (or worse, at kids), you get asked to leave. I guess the reason I'm okay with that is because why the hell would an adult want to sit in a noisy children's room without a specific purpose (i.e. browsing materials)?

That seems reasonable to me, though. You can go in to browse books for whatever reason - to borrow for your kids, because you want to be a children's book author, etc. - but you can't go in and creepily stare at children.

I could see Legoland making someone leave if s/he were following kids around or in some way acting like a creeper. But to not be able to go at all seems weird to me.

[meshaliuknits]

May 23, 2012 10:49:42 GMT -5 imoan said:

This reminds me of the FB friend I have (from The Knot actually) who went on a rant about how creepy it was that there were adults at the zoo without children. Apparently if you don't have kids... you're not allowed to have fun. It was nice to learn that, without children, I look like a child rapist if I want to have a little fun. Awesome!

WTF? So wanting to visit zoos and aquariums during my vacations means H & I are creepers? Thank heavens we have a short person to hide our creepiness now!

Just because she doesn't want to look at lemurs doesn't mean all adults don't. Also, where the hell else am I going to get a churro?

[Deleted]

May 23, 2012 11:02:10 GMT -5 meshaliuknits said:

May 23, 2012 10:49:42 GMT -5 imoan said:

Just because she doesn't want to look at lemurs doesn't mean all adults don't. Also, where the hell else am I going to get a churro?

The farmers market? A Mexican bakery? Costco?

[Deleted]

May 23, 2012 11:03:33 GMT -5 @angryharpy said:

May 23, 2012 11:02:10 GMT -5 meshaliuknits said:

May 23, 2012 10:49:42 GMT -5 imoan said:

Just because she doesn't want to look at lemurs doesn't mean all adults don't. Also, where the hell else am I going to get a churro?

The farmers market? A Mexican bakery? Costco?

Yes! Our first meal of our honeymoon was hot dogs and churros at the Costco in Maui.

[meshaliuknits]

May 23, 2012 11:03:33 GMT -5 @angryharpy said:

May 23, 2012 11:02:10 GMT -5 meshaliuknits said:

May 23, 2012 10:49:42 GMT -5 imoan said:

Just because she doesn't want to look at lemurs doesn't mean all adults don't. Also, where the hell else am I going to get a churro?

The farmers market? A Mexican bakery? Costco?

None at my farmers market or local Mexican bakery. Costco does have them, but I'm not a member. My alternative to the zoo is traveling to SF and wandering through the Mission until I find one.

I could go to a baseball game, but then I risk dying of boredom.

[Deleted]

1. You're not a member of Costco? Well, clearly that's the first problem you need to fix.

2. The food court doesn't require me to show my membership card. If you absolutely refuse to join Costco (and this I just can't understand), tell the greeter people you're going to go to the membership desk. Then waltz on over to the food court, hand over your buck, and enjoy your churro.

3. HOW DOES A MEXICAN BAKERY NOT HAVE CHURROS?! This makes no sense to me. California is a weird, weird place.

[meshaliuknits]

I've blown angryharpy's mind. My work here is done.

(I'm sure there are Mexican bakeries with churros, just not the closest one to me. But mine does have the best Besos.)

[msmerymac]

So, if it's a cool amusement park, like Disney, obviously that's bullshit because adults find it fun, too.

If it's a lame "amusement" park, with just kiddie rides, I don't see adults necessarily wanting to go alone, so it's a moot point. And it would seem like staff could keep an eye on any unusual adult presence.

[Easy As Cake]

I think it's wrong to ban adults who don't or can't have kids or who are still kids at heart. I still love the zoo, cartoons, swing sets and legos! This is age discrimination!