places newborns shouldn't be, and other tales

Sooooo this violinist in my orchestra had a baby. I think the baby is like...two weeks old now? Either way, she brought it to rehearsal today. She brought a two week old newborn to a fucking dress rehearsal. And it's not like we're playing sweet happy music...we're playing the goddamn Firebird suite, and the Infernal Dance is..well I can't imagine that being anything other than scary for a newborn. And this is a community orchestra so people come from everywhere and how many people are sick right now? Germs? Musicians? Like this makes no sense to me. Why would you bring a newborn there? And the musicians clapped, and I texted my friend that and she said "congrats clapping people, you are adding to the problem!" (I adore my friend, she's just as CF as I am and just as hardcore). But...why? I don't get it! Leave it home! Or just not come to rehearsal, get a sub for the concert! ugh.

Other story is a few weeks ago I was at the cherry blossom festival and there was one of those decorative fountains, there was a super shallow pool but it was obviously a decorative pool. Well, like half the parents at the festival let their kids play, swim, and generally jump around in this "pool." Yeah it's not a real pool. It's not treated with anything. your kids are either going to contaminate it, GET contaminated, or both. Like wtf parents can you not watch them for five seconds or find something for them to do? It's a nice festival and was a nice day! But NOPE. Maybe all the kids will catch weird diseases from a stagnant pool.

Maybe I'm wrong, but wouldn't a baybee -- much less a newborn -- have very sensitive ears?

And if so, wouldn't it be about the worst place in the world to take a baybee to a place with loud music?

Even if they're not more sensitive, it's been shown that exposure to loud noises over time does affect hearing; so, start the baybee off early on the road to hearing loss?

Diseases in stagnant water. It would do the breeders right. If you do not want to leave the kids at home, please do not leave your brain at home. There are a few minor outbreaks of measles in western Canada these days. Sick kids traveling on planes and walking through airports. Parents only give a shit if their own kids are at risk. Screw everybody else. As for the pool, public decorum, sadly, is extinct.

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cfchevygirl
Even if they're not more sensitive, it's been shown that exposure to loud noises over time does affect hearing; so, start the baybee off early on the road to hearing loss?

I played in orchestras for years, and as a consequence, have a bad, and permanent, case of tinnitus. It's not fun. I can't *imagine* exposing a newborn to the overwhelming noise of an orchestra. That's just dumb. The cow bringing the baby to the rehearsal just wanted attention.

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skyeyes

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cfchevygirl
Even if they're not more sensitive, it's been shown that exposure to loud noises over time does affect hearing; so, start the baybee off early on the road to hearing loss?

I played in orchestras for years, and as a consequence, have a bad, and permanent, case of tinnitus. It's not fun. I can't *imagine* exposing a newborn to the overwhelming noise of an orchestra. That's just dumb. The cow bringing the baby to the rehearsal just wanted attention.

Seriously, it seemed like major attention whoring to me. "Look, I just sprogged and I'm right back at rehearsal! Aren't I amazing? Look at my newborn! Look at it!" Yeah the first thing I thought of was how the loud noise was definitely a bad fucking idea for a newborn's ears. Orchestras are not a quiet thing! And Stravinsky is DEFINITELY not quiet music! And we had our full contingent of brass players for Infernal Dance, soooo especially not! Congrats kid you'll be deaf early?

I love my conductor dearly, but when he was like "oh this is so great and Berceuse is a lullaby and you'll be so glad when you can get your baby to sleep for a little bit I guarantee it wait until you're parents!" I was like
Noooo conductor why, you're awesome why did you do that

Oboe playing was one of the things that contributed early on to me becoming childfree so I was kind of amused. When I started oboe I didn't want all my organs squashed funny so I couldn't play! So I wasn't gonna have kids cause then I couldn't oboe anymore! Heh haven't changed at all since middle school.

You are so lucky! I LOVE "Firebird Suite". The first time I was privileged to hear it was in junior college music appreciation class. I fell so in love with it I could barely breathe. I wish we had things like that around here but the mentality right now is "cut down hundred year old oak trees that survived the worst storm in US history to make way for baseball!!" and the ever popular "MOAR WALMAAAAAARRRTTSSS!!!".

Ok nerd moment over with but that did make my day :jump