got a complaint for taking a video of my toddler at a softplay, mixed emotions

p1tse

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so my toddler is literally 2 years of age, he was playing in an area where it was for probably older kids as they had air guns using soft balls type area. i took a short clip of 1 minutue as i found it very cute that my son was putting the soft balls into this air machine which goes through this tube, as he was in his own element trying to pick up as many balls as possible type scenario, proud parent as he was having fun on his own etc.

let him be as he seemed happy and usually clings on a bit, then a few minutes later the assistant manager of the small soft play comes up to me saying someone had complained about me taking a video with other kids in it, well kids where running around my son.

so obviously this parent i'm not sure who, had saw me taking a single video, which i wasn't doing discretely as i did it from the edge of the entrance into the play area.

i can understand with this topic with how things are on the news, but was a bit shocked and annoyed as it was a short clip in a soft play and never had this issue before. so mixed emotions. obviously the way i am and know it's a sensitive subject i apologised, and said fine and would delete if required.

as with a toddler, i take him to the zoo, softplay, playrounds, parks, what am i suppose to do not take any pics or video clips of my son playing in a natural environment!?!?

told my wife who was walking round the outside with craft places. maybe i was singled out for another reason, but it's got me thinking ;-(

whilst on holiday, kids disco, all the parents were filming as an example and no one bat an eye lid or thought anything otherwise.
 
I really do think the world has gone mad & way to far with this sort of thing, it stinks that you cant capture pics/footage of your own kids anymore:thumbsdown:

That said as you were in someones premises they have got the right to stop you doing it, but still think a bit of common sense should be applied a hell of alot more commonly.
 
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bet this wouldn't have occurred had your wife been taking the video
 
Pathetic. The local soft play area is like that, but the owner seems to like signs as every bit of space has "don't do this" and "don't do that" (including the bizarre for Health & Safety and insurance reasons you cannot bring own food, but can buy food there or bring own baby food????)

Private property fair enough, but that parent should be ashamed. Trouble is that far too many parents these days decide to wrap kids in cotton wool and worry about things so much it becomes a joke - sad thing is that these kids will not experience life and grow up to be idiots too!!!!
 
Thanks
Makes me feel a bit better with a your thoughts

If my wife was with me I doubt it would have been an issue too

But it's made me a bit conscious about it all really now. When I don't have my dslr I like to take the odd pic or clip of my toddler

If I had been taking loads and they can see I'm not taking clips if my own son then fair enough, but never experienced such a horrible feeling and not to let it ruin my son having a good time either. Well it was pay for every 30 mins so left after that.
 
there has been a huge row going on in our local paper about this sort of thing. if it was a woman i bet it wouldn't have happened. like others have said
 
You should have reported the manager to plod for a Hate Crime. Inferring that you might be up to no good is as much a crime these days as actually being a P****. Next time ring plod right away.
 
I'm not that sort of person to cause problem, but really ring the police seems quite drastic, bug then you're right being accused of it is not nice

Told a friend and he said forget about it and the fact I dont know their history. He also said he I doubt I was panning about which I wasn't just focused on my son at where he was playing with this air machine only to have other kids run round him. Some even knocking him, but I didnt complain as that's what happens at soft play.

Just shocked it still happened to me, minding my own business
 
I would have replied with "And what's the problem with that"

"Why"

"What do you think is going to happen?

"Are you saying your child running past is pornographic? Did you not dress them appropriately? Shame on you."
 
Incidentally, I hope you kept the video.

I genuinely don't get what people think is going to happen as a result of their kids being in the background of someone else's video/photos especially when you are obviously a parent taking shots of your own child.
 
I think I'd have loudly asked "Whose the narrow minded person who objects to me taking photos of my own child enjoying themselves?"
 
Yes, ofcourse, if it as on private property, then there is a case (the private property ideally should have a notice to that effect.

Apart from the above, I see absolutely no problem whatsoever - and yes, I am speaking as a parent.

Genuine complaints = fair enough.
Annonymous complaints - take no notice of

As far as to whether the phorographer is male or female to my mind makes no difference at all.

There, I've had my threepennies worth.
 
sorry if this appears insensitive to anyone, and speaking as a non - parent - but I seriously don't see any issue of parents taking normal pics / videos of their kids at the zoo / playgorund etc, and if any kid happens to get in the background then so what? It's pretty unlikely to end up online, so those who say "Little adopted Johnny's dad, could find him from that." No in the remote chance that little Johnny's dad did see the pic then

a) chances are he wouldn't know where it is or when it was.

b) Little Johnny isn't there now.



Right, I am off to ring the parents to ask them to delete the slides of me naked in the bath in 1974 and me running naked through the garden sprinkler in 1976.
 
Lynton said:
Right, I am off to ring the parents to ask them to delete the slides of me naked in the bath in 1974 and me running naked through the garden sprinkler in 1976.

And so you should!.... You were in your mid forties then. :D
 
Sad really, we have missed out for a number of years now not being allowed to use a video and camera at various plays etc our kids have been involved in at school.
But starting from last year the Head now stands up before the start and asks everyone if there is anyone who objects to video and photos being used and no one has objected.

Steve
 
Sad really, we have missed out for a number of years now not being allowed to use a video and camera at various plays etc our kids have been involved in at school.
But starting from last year the Head now stands up before the start and asks everyone if there is anyone who objects to video and photos being used and no one has objected.

Steve

that's very interesting, i never even thought about that at schools.
one for memories i too would be a bit sad not being able to take pics of school plays, parents there must be so proud. so fair shout to the head.

when do people stop thinking about it, when it comes to age of things though?
 
I think I'd have loudly asked "Whose the narrow minded person who objects to me taking photos of my own child enjoying themselves?"

i was too shocked, didn't know where i stood about it, so was apologetic

but coming to think about it, maybe you guys are right should have stood my ground.

so the parent(s) who complained i should have said something about it, but how should the soft play assistant manager should have gone about it?
 
I seriously think the worlds gone mad regarding taking pics or video clips of your children at events or school

In fact I am seriously surprised they '' allow'' school photographs to be taken now , i also think its childless folks who sit there & invent a new rule just to **** of parents

going back to the origonal topic, it kind of makes you wonder what was going on in the head of the complaining parent, it cant have been healthy
 
Utterly pathetic ,you have every right to film photograph ** wee one .....
 
I think the World is going crazy tbh!!!

A few weeks back I got some shots of my 3 year old niece in the bath, was careful at the time not to include "rudey" bits and asked my sister if she was OK with me puting a few of the head & shoulder shots I got on facebook.

This then sparked a conversation about kids pictures on the internet.

My Sister & bro-in-law's view is quite refreshing in that they weren't bothered about Libby's pictures being all over facebook. Their take on it is that yeah, maybe, somehow some pervert may get hold of pictures of Libby in a state of undress but will it actually harm her or make any difference to her life? Probably not and that there's more risk of some random perv while out and about getting pictures of kids.
 
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