kids and Partys

jenlerose replied:

Hi Taz,

I remem

ber there was a discussion on this very subject not to long ago in General.  Heres the link for that: http://www.partyplan.com/forum/topic.php?tid=3175

JMO. But I could never take my kids along to a party, cos I wouldn\'t be able to concentrate on what I was doing!  But thats just me.....others do and with success!

Hope that helps....

ExMember148 replied:

Don't shoot the messenger but - ' Would you take your kids to any other workplace with you ? '

nixandbuz replied:

Hi there, I did a party where the hostess said - yeah bring the kids, they will be fine.  Well my little one (just over 12 mths at the time) just hung off my leg!!  I ended up doing half the party with him hanging off me, no amount of food or drink was going to do it for him!  So won't be doing that again.  My two boys go into D/C once a week and Luke on a Friday so tend to work my parties around that day or evenings when hubby is home.  Occasionally can get Brodie into D/C on a Friday if I need to.  I really found it hard to keep my attention on the job at hand, it was a successful party but felt bad that I was constantly being interrupted by my little one.

Never again.

ExMember148 replied:

Maybe I am hijacking this thread, but the link above from Jen doesn't appear to work, and there were many valuable points in it......

Remember professionalism is one of your most important selling tools...........

If you were a guest at a party, would you be interested in booking from a consultant who (eg) was wearing no shoes and had grubby toenails, was smoking, had children hanging off of her, had 'porn' star make up on???  There is a time and place for everything.

jenlerose replied:

I don't know why link wasn't working the first post, but have edited my first post and is working now for you Taz.

Jen

SaucyKath replied:

Taz,  I just happened to get this same topic covered in a E-newsletter.  Here's a link you may find useful;  http://www.partywithyourkids.com/

nixandbuz replied:

I just attended a Neways party yesterday (as part of our mums group) and the lady brought her two children.  She struggled with the kids as they didn't know any of the other kids and her little one just kept taking the product off the table.  You could see she was having difficulty with it and excused the children but yeah, on the outside looking in, it really didn't look that good.

Would you agree Lauren?

noone replied:

Yes Nix, I've been trying to find the words to put our Neways experience in LOL... The lady was very knowledgable but her kids were very distracting.  It perhaps would be different if you were doing the party with your own mother's group IE your kids know and get on with the other kids and will run off to play...

I can understand breastfeeding mums having to take their newies to their first party or two, but not toddlers... I'd only take Cam if there was absolutely no other way to get around it and the party couldn't be shifted to another time...

Maybe an option might be to network with another PP mum and have blocks where you can book parties and the other will mind the kids... Eg Fri night, sat afternoon and sun morning for one week, sat morning, sun a'noon the next... Yes I can see the multitude of problems but it might work for someone :) - Nix if you ever get stuck I can have the boys out here

This is JMHO and I hope you can sort something out

nixandbuz replied:

Lauren Friday nite??? Need to hit the turps!!

And - Saturday avo - have a party in Babinda - DH working all day

.

.

Na - just joking, hoping MIL can babysit Friday nite and where DH is working Sat is a friend of ours, so gunna hit her up to babysit while DH finishes the job at hand (seems he's doing a cashy and its cheap - this is what we can get in return.

Same goes Lauren, if you need a Babysitter - Cam gets along well with my two.

He's such a smiley cute little fella...

Mandy replied:

I don't have any kids but if i did i would never even think about taking them to a party. I dont think it would be very professional. And if i was a hostess and my party planner bought her kids along i can honestly say i wouldnt be happy with that.

scrappy replied:

Hi I have a 3 yr old and a 21 month old, and have no babysitter and wont pay the enormous child care fees! I have just enrolled the boys in family day care through the council and it is only $4.20 per hour!! But I would never bring my boys or even one to work with me! We are in a Party Plan business ....so I Plan! I have dates and times that I am available and dont book outside of those! Your customers will understand that you have kids and a life, and will often just book a later date. Once you start booking only to your schedule you will find others booking from those will start to want the similar times. It has worked very well for me and I wish you all the best. 

Wikidz replied:

I'm with the consensus here about taking kids to your parties.  It is your 'job' and you don't need the distractions as it does look unprofessional.  I attended one memorable party where the Consultant took her... 3 kids... whom proceeded to hit other kids, smash toys and basically ran amuk.  I was interested in having a party as I loved the product but went looking for another consultant as the fact her kids were there and ran amuk really put me off.

But, having said that, I have taken my 2 year old daughter to a couple of parties I've done, BUT they were with my good friends, all the kids get along fantastically so there was no worries there.  Certainly wouldn't take her to any other parties I do, not worth the worry.  I'm also lucky to have a friend who can mind her for a couple of hours if I do happen to have a party during the day when she's not at daycare.

chocolateaddict replied:

I am going to go against the majority here!

I do take my son to parties with me. I am a single parent and have no support network at the moment. (that will change once my mother moves down from interstate). I ALWAYS ask the host when she books the party if it is ok to bring him. If they say no, or I can tell they would rather not then I pass the party on to another consultant.

My boy is very placid and just sits and plays with his toys. If he was not I would not take him. He is 2.

I do understand the "professional" look thing but at the moment I have no other option but to take him with me.

I always get comments on how well behaved he is. Also the head office does not mind that I take my child along as long as I get the hosts permission.

As I said, once my mother moves down he will only go with me when she has other plans. :)

kathymollie replied:

I tend to agree with Michelle, l am also a single mum with no family support in Melb...l did not begin my PP until my daughter was about 71/2 as l didnt want to take her out late at night during the week.,,but when my sales leaders bonus cheques were $15,000 / month and she drove up in her black saab..(achieved through her vast fifthavenuecollection sales and bonus cheques),...i thought hey...l can do this..Mollie will just have to come with me...let's face it we could use the money...
I try to schedule few shows on week nights..so she isnt out to late...l have never found a hostess concerned that Mollie is with me..and she is a great help, knows all the prices, and items...and it is a great way of teaching her the value of a dollar...and this way she earns pocket money....
I am very professional in my business as is my daughter...l think if the child is well behaved there shouldnt be a problem..after all we are living in the 21st century...times change, work places become more lenient...and isnt it fabulous with PP and having your own business too be able to choose what suits you...............

Hennypenny replied:

Hi Taz, Welcome!

I have to say that I would NEVER ever take my boys with me. They are the same age as yours. They are extremely active/curious/adventurous and don't sit still for a second.

I would be horrified if they damaged anything in someone's home by accident, and while you're working is not really the time to address any issues that may arise with their behaviour.

Also, on the other hand, while your children might behave like angels, you are never sure what someone else's child might do (eg- perhaps your child may be bitten/pushed/etc) and again, not the place for you to have to run and take action.

I have to do a party at my own Mother-in-laws house next week, for my sister in law- and still- no way am I taking my kids. Too distracting while I am representing my company to new customers (her friends).

Having said all that though- my best advice to any mum is to always "Do what works for YOU".

Whatever will make your life easier and cause the least amount stress for you and your kids is usually the best option in any situation.

Cheers, Andrea.

NicoleLee replied:

Hi everyone.

I've just been reading what everyone has to say and i've been thinking about it and i've gone with a party plan that lets me do catalogue partys. So thank you all for your replys. It has been very helpfull.

Taz

downunder replied:

I'm going against the grain here, btw my "kids" are grown now so it's not a problem. I had a shop when they were little so yes, I did take my children to a normal workplace everyday. While parties are different ie: being in someone else's home, where it is essential to ask the hostess first, routine and training for the kids is necessary to be successful.

I never really had a problem with my kids at work, they knew the rules and appropriate behaviour. Perhaps those times you need to take your kids can be made easier with some solid reinforcing of what is expected of them, some favourite "safe" toys and plenty of praise when they do it right. Don't leave it to just before the party to teach them.

Julie