Not recommended for adults or children under the age of 3

[ellemenope]

Just curious.  How would you interpret this sign written above a slide in a children's museum?

Not recommended for adults or children under the age of 3

I guess what I am asking is how serious do you take their "recommendation"? 

Background:  The slide is completely enclosed, three stories tall, and DD has been going down it dozens of times with no problem since she was 2.  I obviously interpreted the sign pretty literally, and thought "thank you for your advice," and let DD go down.  A couple of weeks ago, a staff member at the top commented how cute she was, and asked her age.  When I told her she was 2.5, she immediately raised her eyebrows and pointed to the sign, and then acted like she was doing us a huge favor by letting her go down.   I thought the first time was just an isolated odd experience, but a couple of times later it happened again, so now, I get it.  This is a RULE.  We might need to bring her birth certificate come July to prove she is 3, lol.  The problem is DD loves this slide now, and I am having a hard time explaining to her she cannot go down it anymore, and I just wish they were more straight forward from the beginning.  But, maybe I have something to learn here.  Was I being pretty dense?

Is "not recommended" just a polite way to say "no!"

[crunchy_mommy]

I think that's weird... I'd interpret it the same way you did, as just 'take it or leave it' advice. I would just keep letting your DD go down it & if anyone asks her age, you can just say she's about to turn 3 (which she is... in a few months!!) I find that really weird actually, and the more I think about it, the more I think they need to either put up a clear sign ("Children age 3-12 ONLY") or just get over it & not give you weird looks....

LOL sorry for the excessive use of the word 'weird'......

[Nicole730]

I would not take that sign as a rule.

[ananas]

I would just keep letting her go down the slide, too. This just seems silly...the way you describe the slide, it sounds like it's fine for a 2 year old and she obviously loves it. If the issue comes up again, just be straight-forward with the person, and say something like, "The sign says it's not recommended, not that it's not allowed...if it's something you are going to enforce as a rule you need a different sign".

[sewchris2642]

I'd interpret the sign as saying that the slide is not rated for adult weight and is not meant for under 3 yo bodies (like rear facing in the car seat to age 2 or older is safer and sitting in the back seat under age 12 in a car).  And in part is designed to protect the museum from lawsuits from children under the age of 3 getting hurt or an adult getting stuck on the slide.  The employee was doing her job in pointing out the sign.  Because of the wording of the sign you are certainly free to ignore it but be aware that you are responsible for your child's safety in ignoring it. 

[onlyzombiecat]

I would not interpret it as a rule but as them saving themselves from a lawsuit or damaging the slide.

I do know that when I worked at an art museum staff were ordered to speak to patrons about not doing something in the museum when there wasn't a posted rule- like carrying their child on their shoulders. So the staff may have been told to be more diligent about discouraging kids under 3 or adults from going on the slide because someone higher up decided they needed to.

If the museum has a comment card that may be a better way to let the museum know they should change the wording of the sign or stop bothering you than verbally telling the staff member.

[nextcommercial]

I think it's a polite way of saying "We don't want adults up here, so if your child will go up here, and force you to climb up after him or her, please keep her out".

They don't want adults up there, because it's for kids.  There's no space for the kids if the adults are up there.  It's not as fun for kids if adults are up there.  Not everybody wants a random adult stranger up there alone with their kids when they can't see what's going on.

[ellemenope]

Thanks for validating some of my frustrations!

Nextcomercial, I get your point.  I think you might be on to something.  The slide takes you from the third floor to the first.  It is basically an alternate way down right next to a flight of stairs.  I can't see them having an issue with a parent dropping their kid off.  You really kind of have to walk by the slide.  But, the parent does need to understand that when you send your 2 year old down, they will be alone on the first floor for a few seconds.  And, that would certainly warrant the recommendation perhaps.  And, no one wants a bunch of parents clogging it up.  I totally understand that.

I think this is just one of my pet peeves.  I need to follow rules.  I need the rules to be clear.  I have to know that I am not doing anything wrong.  To me, a recommendation is just advice, not a rule.  But, the staff made me start to question myself.  I will definitely bring it up next time I am questioned.  I will ask if this enforcement is actually something coming from management, and if it is I will recommend a stronger worded sign.

[Lisa1970]

They should have said no adults or children under 3 allowed, rather than not recommended.

[Smithie]

When people like that ask me for the ages of my children, I translate the request as "Give this officious individual a number that will cause them to walk away and stop harassing me."

Keep using the slide, and next time, tell them she's turned three. 

[sapphire_chan]

Or, more truthfully, "she's old enough!"

And I'd interpret the sign to mean "don't ride down the slide with your kid"

I'm surprised they made it age based instead of height based. I thought the danger on slides was if a small person (of any age) gets twisted around they can spin all the way around and end up going head first while people above a given height will have their feet hit the side of the slide and prevent a full spin.

That's why dd has to ride on my lap on the all-ages slide our children's museum sets up in winter (well, that and she isn't good with slides these days), but a kid her age who was slightly taller could ride alone (if they wanted)

[SpiderMum]

I would have let her do it too.  It's a recommendation....it doesn't say NO CHILDREN UNDER 3.  Plus, I know my child...and she's a slider.  She has been climbing up and going down slides since she was 1 and I'm not going to tell her she can't because MOST 2 years old can't...not her problem, and not mine.

[GoBecGo]

"Not recommended" to me, in this case, can be translated into "if your 2 year old gets hurt we are not liable and if your 190lb grown up butt breaks the slide you ARE liable!

[sewchris2642]

Originally Posted by GoBecGo 

"Not recommended" to me, in this case, can be translated into "if your 2 year old gets hurt we are not liable and if your 190lb grown up butt breaks the slide you ARE liable!

Exactly.

[mamazee]

Originally Posted by GoBecGo 

"Not recommended" to me, in this case, can be translated into "if your 2 year old gets hurt we are not liable and if your 190lb grown up butt breaks the slide you ARE liable!

That is exactly how I would interpret it.  Fine, your 2-year-old can slide, but if she gets hurt it's on you.  And if you slide, you break it, you bought it.
 

[Eeyore35]

I wouldn't think it was a "rule" either. At hte rec entre here, for example, they do't recommend hte hot tub for under age 6. I take my daughter in have since she was 6 moths old. I held her mostly out ofhte water at that age, and made sure hse iddn't ge too hot ,fo course. None of hte lifeguards ever bothered me.

Oh, and I think McDonalds sit as a rule, but myself, and everyone I know let their under 3 kids play on the slide. And she was over 3 the first time i had to climb up after her.