Banning the babies
 

I see your point about the headache and everything - sometimes it just bothers me that more workplaces don't have daycare/nursery facilities. It would make things so much easier for families. It can't cost that much, can it?

Banning the babies
 

Or the father can stay home with the child, or hold the child during the wedding service outside the church/hall/area. Look to the unrelated spouse to handle the 2 month old. Anyway, how long is the service? Other than catholic weddings involving a full Mass, they usually seem to move pretty quickly. Maybe purse junkie can volunteer a guest-breast to Str8's cousin to help smooth things out.

Perhaps greater delicacy is warranted, but it seems that this person was being a bit obtuse, and often one needs to be rudely direct with people who don't want to play by the rules.

Banning the babies
 

I think it would cost a lot where I work, since there is no space for it, so you would have to add the space, you would have to add staff to watch them, you would have the insurance. But where I live a lot of folks have one family member (normally the mom) home with the kid, so it doesn't really matter. My employer is relatively small though, and there aren't that many kids, so it wouldn't make sense anyway. But I don't see it being cheap at all, no. Not if you do it properly, and depending on the number of kids.

There are plenty of daycares around though. Plenty of places for people to put their kids, all quite close.

My secretary needed to work very odd hours so she didn't have to put her child in daycare and I had no problem allowing that even though it really is quite an inconvenience. So there is always that option if you have an understanding boss. Sometimes if she has to come in in the middle of the day, she brings her daughter, and sometimes when she comes back (she is gone in the middle of the day, works earlier in the morning and a bit later at night) she brings her. Her daughter loves me and likes to come talk with me, but my secretary gets very upset with her for distracting me. If I don't want her around she makes sure she isn't around, so it is fine.

Banning the Babies
 

Yes it can. Not only in terms of liability, but it never fucking works. Picture this...10 new moms have just dropped their kids off at the daycare on the X floor of your building. 9:30 rolls around - 1 of them wants to go take a peek to see how things are doing. Another one says "Oh, I'll go with you." Other people see them leaving and tag along. 10:30 repeat. I have seen this happen and no work gets done. It's too big of a temptation just to sneak a peek 20 times a day. And heaven forbid if one of them gets sick - they all get sick and then the plague spreads to the rest of the office and blah blah blah.

Banning the babies
 

I don't think she was being obtuse. It seemed like a passive-aggressive way of informing Str8 that if she couldn't bring the baby, she couldn't come at all, and she would just hate to miss it, all the more so in light of how little trouble the infant would be and how considerate the cousin would be.

Of course, she should just have said so, rather than write an email that forces Str8 to play the ogre.

Edited to add: Str8, I think it would be best for you to hire a babysitter for the reception, you will save yourself a lot of heartache and finger-wagging about proper etiquette, etc.

Banning the babies
 

I am on the fence on this one. I personally would not use a workplace daycare but that is because I am so adamant about keeping my two lives separate and having my little Boo in the same building would make that difficult (both for me and him).
It may also be over the line for those people who feel that employers (and society) already go out of the way too much for parents. Although they have not yet revolted over feeling slighted for having to work more so that Sally can go to her kid's play (or so they think) or pay property taxes that pay for schools, using company money to provide an on-site daycare may push them over the edge. And they might be right. I mean, why not an on-site gym then? Or a cool disco with free bar? Why just cater to parents and their needs? How about a conjugal visits room complete with people to get conjugal with? Everyone has needs.

I would not object to on-site daycare and I personally feel that it could be a good move financially if you determine that the company can generate more revenues by having it. I just won't be holding my breath waiting for them to become the rule rather than the exception.

Banning the babies
 

If no-one minds my swatting the little squealer across the room the minute it comes remotely near my decolletage.

And I reiterate, the cousin is lying when they say they'll take the baby out when it squawks. Just lying.

Banning the babies
 

It's a "no children/babies at the ceremony or reception" policy, not a "no children/babies at the short ceremony" policy. Maybe the person was being a bit obtuse, indeed . . . .

edited to say:

Burger, you know I love you live a brother -- I don't mean to be picking on you today, it's just working out that way.

Scars
 

Try vitamin E oil, which you have to put on right away when it is a scab and not a scar.

Banning the babies
 

right, either of which is solved if the unrelated spouse takes the child. Or they can trade off. I went to a wedding recently where one of the bride's best friends and her husband basically played tag team with their v. young child. She went to the ceremony. He came for the reception. She came for the dinner, and saved his plate, which she sent him over to eat when she was done. It seemed to work out well, considering the circumstances.

Mmmm(well, except for the fact that I nabbed his filet while they were trading places)Burger

Banning the babies
 

Since so many people hire sitters for receptions these days, I don't think she was being necessarily passive-agressive or rude. She probably just misread it. I have to endorse the separate room, sitter deal. I attended a wedding where I had no idea that there were children in attendance. They were neither seen nor heard.

Banning kids
 

What about the tunnel blockers?

Banning kids
 

Perfect analogy. I live in a city with a two lane highway filled with dumptrucks. Throw in some construction work for the nespaper boxes, tree boxes and sidewalk seating. I cant work umbrellas into the analogy unfortunately. I guess they would be SUVs- unnecessarily taking up space under the guise that they are protectcing their people from the rough outdoors when really it is a paved suburban street or light drizzle. There.

Banning the babies
 

My company offers child care. The company is spread out over several buildings, and I don't think that there are too many issues with parents dropping in on their kids on the lunch hour. It's just convenient to be heading to the same general direction as your kids to drop them off for the day. There are I think four different programs that my company offers, including kindergarden. I don't know what the cost is, and I don't know if there's room for every employee's kid (I doubt that), but the service is available.

Banning the babies
 

Probably D and it may depend on whether this cousin lives far from the wedding/reception site. She may not know whether she'll be feeling up to a wedding with a 2 month old. And she may be asking for dispensation to bring her baby, especially if they will be travelling and not know anyone who can babysit.

My advice is to get someone to watch the kids at the ceremony and reception. You have to expect that any number of your family and friends will decide you couldn't possibly have meant to exclude their children and bring them along. A co-worker did this -- if anyone was brazen enough to bring a child whose name was not on the invitation (although if the ceremony is in a church, DS says any member is entitled to attend), the ushers directed them to deposit the child in the nursery before going in.

Banning the babies
 

Is that member of the family or member of the church?

I once went to a wedding (in another country) where the ceremony went along and local townspeople came in to watch and to pray (it was Sat. eve. and a catholic church). It struck me as odd (that is, different), but certainly explicable. None of them was, however, a crying baby. Indeed, it reinforced the community nature of marriage.

no kids
 

The cousin is both A and B. She knows exactly what no kids means (isn't that clear?). She is trying to force str8 to agree to make a special rule for her kid. I think it sucks. While it would be nice for a bride and groom to set up daycare, it is not their responsibility. It would also be nice to pay for everyone's travel and to book their hotel rooms for them. The cousin has a choice -- figure out a way to attend without the baby (hello, anyone ever heard of a breast pump?) or don't attend. Don't throw your problem back on the groom - he'll have enough going on... Including making sure his bride isn't severely pissed off because his relatives ignored the clear statement that no kids are invited to the wedding.

n(wtf)cs

Banning kids
 

Posts like these make me think that you did well on your law school exams, especially those with a lot of time pressure.

penis pill swindle
 

Damn. I thought I could make a living doing something else and now this.....
June 5 — Giving Americans a first glimpse of an industry flourishing at the intersection of larceny and libido, authorities in Arizona are seizing the assets of a Scottsdale company that sold more than $74 million worth of pills that it claimed would enlarge penises or breasts, make the consumer taller or hairier — even sharpen his or her golf game. But despite such audacious claims, the company — C.P. Direct — would likely still be gouging the gullible if its founders hadn’t decided to also illegally charge consumers’ credit cards, industry insiders say. THE C.P. DIRECT case, apparently one of the first criminal prosecutions of a seller of “body enhancement” supplements, will do nothing to halt the avalanche of e-mail touting products that claim the ability to turn your Volkswagen into a Chevy Suburban, anatomically speaking. But it has triggered concern among other purveyors of pills, creams and nutritional products promising too-good-to-be-true results.
Court documents filed in the case show that the company’s big money-earner was the Longitude penis-enlargement pill, which it described in advertisements as “a breakthrough product that will make your penis grow until you are satisfied with your new size.” The ad recommended that users should discontinue the pills after reaching nine inches in length to avoid discomforting sexual partners.


full story here

Devilish Ducks
 

hmmm, the Devils get the last line change (which the Ducks used brilliantly in the last two games) but the Ducks are really feeling the mojo now. The Ducks also seem to have come up with a way of countering the Devils' soft-chip forechecking scheme. Tonight should be a fan-fucking-tabulous game.


I wonder why we don't have a hockey player smilie. :disbelief

no kids
 

Some people (like my sister) just don't get it. She insists on bringing the little tyke with her everwhere. I think my nephew is awesome, but he does not belong at a bridal shower, or a business conference. Yes, she brought him along to both of those events. Can't wait to see if she brings him along on the Bachelorette Party for our future sister-in-law in a few weeks. I've tried talking to her, but get the defensive-rolling-eyes-woe-is-me response.

lawnmower
 

This is slander!! I've only been waxed by a male once -- and not only did I not have sex with him, I found him creepy and never went back. (He sounded normal when I made the appointment.)

Who in the hell are you guys talking about?!?

(This is probably answered later, but I'm soooo confused!)

Banning kids
 

I just tell the parent unit that I have a cold/cough/sore throat/pink eye or something equally contagious and never have to deal with the issue. It also helps to close my office door if I hear possible rug-rat sounds. I admit it - I don't like kids in the office.

Devilish Ducks
 

No particular reason, except I never have come across one. If you find one let me know, I'll add it.

Banning kids
 

Is one of his toys some kind of ball-type object? Does he bounce it off the wall? Do his video games make bleeping noises? Then he is bothering a soul, even if the soul doesn't complain about it to you.

They should all be put in big sheds until age 16.

Devilish Ducks
 

New Jersey Devils center Joe Nieuwendyk won't be in the lineup for Game 5 of the Stanley Cup finals against the Anaheim Mighty Ducks on Thursday, said coach Pat Burns.

Banning kids
 

I will have to try this. It seems like a more polite brush off than screaming "DON'T YOU GET IT? I CAN'T STAND BABIES!"

I am such a wuss.

Banning kids
 

The Wee Slothrop has been in my office several times, but almost always on the weekend, when they are empty. At such times, offices can be a lot of fun for a wee person -- except for the part about locking yourself in someone else's office. On the one occasion when em has come with during the business day -- the result of avoidable judicial caprice in scheduling -- em was terrified by all of the people who clustered around and wanted to see em. Since beating my co-workers back with a stick wasn't an option, we had to hide in my office. Later, I smuggled em out in a box. I haven't seen anyone here thrusting their child upon unsuspecting and industrious lawyers who are only trying to work hard for the man, but maybe I'm on the wrong floor.

I may be wrong, but I got the impression that RT just found out an old beau got married, and they had had a connection of the sort where it was unlikely, but not unthinkable, that they might someday have given it another go. You know, the if you ran into him unexpectedly you just might get flustered even though you have thought many times about what you would say if you ever did run into him unexpectedly kind of ex.

But I could just be romanticizing it beyond the point that was warranted by the allusion to, uh, Casablanca.

Banning the babies
 

WTF, she's going to be feeding it during the ceremony? I should hope not. If the kid needs to eat during the ceremony/reception, and she doesn't pump because she's not spending more than a few hours at a time away from the kid EVER, she should go get the kid from the hotel room or wherever to nurse.

No answer. Just a realization that the ones that the "maybe we'll meet up somewhere down the line" doesn't happen very often.

To be more clear, I found yesterday that the first guy I ever fell in love with (and who I've been still sort of holding a torch for ever since) got married.

Banning the babies
 

Hmmm. Does it seem like somebody's missing?

Banning kids
 

No ball-type object. The video game is fairly quiet. I have a corner office, the neighbor office on one side is empty and the other office actually has outdoor space between it and mine so really no neighbors to bother. In my three years at this company I think my son has had to come to the office with me 3 times and usually I try to cut it as short as possible and finish the day at home.

Banning the babies
 

I forgot to mention that in my first email, I informed the addressees that we were renting out a room at the hotel where our wedding is taking place and hiring babysitters.

Banning the babies
 

And, to continue the anti-cousin rant, and in response to all the people who have said, set up a babysitting place, the cousin said in her email that her older daughter (3 yo) will have a great time playing with the other kids -- which tends to indicate that there is some kind of collective babysitting set up. Which in turn indicates that she was saying w/r/t the baby that she wasn't going to use the babysitting, because she wanted to keep the kid with her and the kid wouldn't be any trouble. Which finally means that she is a very bad selfish inconsiderate human being and should be shot, along with her progeny (to make sure those genes aren't passed on).

Banning the babies
 

And with that bit of additional information, I'll reassert by original answer.

BTW, Str8, when did you become a "Homeowner"? Did you cut a better deal on that litigation trap?

Banning the babies
 

Well then, clearly, she should use the spouse trade-off method recommended by the Chief Justice. Why don't you email her a link to this page?

Banning the babies
 

It was obvious from the context, but it is nice of you to clarify for people who apparently ignored the information about the older child. How the hell did you people get through law school? All of you are big fakers, 12-y-o kids at home getting your kicks playing on the internet for lawyers.

Banning the babies
 

It's either A or D) all those other children are noisy and uncouth but my little wunderkind is amazing and perfect and everyone should see em and everyone should love em.

This is one of the disadvantages of getting married after other friends/family. Outside of the underused solution to all wedding problems (eloping), I think that couples should get married in bars instead of churches. Anyone can go to a church/synagogue/mosque, but bars have bouncers and check ID's.

How much would it cost to rent out Skybar on a Saturday afternoon? Guests stay at the hotel, catering by Asia de Cuba, after the (short) reception, your guests can stay for the aspiring models or decamp to the Strip for fun and frolic.

I think the only solution to the whole children at weddings thing is to have a chldren's room for them. But with babies, toddlers, and just plain kids, that would be expensive.

I once had a co-worker of Mexican extraction react with shock that I wouldn't want kids at my wedding. She claimed that as Mexican weddings were all about family, you had to have all family members there, including their kids, and if that made for a noisy wedding, so much the better. That sort of scenario makes even Salma Hayek seem unattractive. A two-hour Catholic wedding filled with munchkins? Does this really happen? Hoe do people get through them?