# How about a "Parenting and Kid Stuff" forum? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [March 25, 2011, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-about-a-parenting-and-kid-stuff-forum/575925 "2011-03-25T03:23:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2011, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-about-a-parenting-and-kid-stuff-forum/575925/41 "2011-03-27T03:25:42Z")
Not having read the thread, I think there are too many forums already. I’d be happy if The Game Room were put back into MPSIMS and Elections was put back into Great Debates. Or else make them sub-forums of those, so as to get them off of the main page. . ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2011, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-about-a-parenting-and-kid-stuff-forum/575925/42 "2011-03-27T03:41:16Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > “Not child friendly” means that this message board frequently has topics and discussions that are not suitable for children. We don’t moderate the board with an eye to making the place safe for kids to surf, and we have a minimum age of 13. > > Yes, there are frequently posts and threads ABOUT children. But those posts are made by teens and adults. That doesn’t mean that the boards are child friendly, it only means that the topic of children is not forbidden. Oh I see. That does make sense. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2011, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-about-a-parenting-and-kid-stuff-forum/575925/43 "2011-03-27T05:11:48Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > “Not child friendly” means that this message board frequently has topics and discussions that are not suitable for children. We don’t moderate the board with an eye to making the place safe for kids to surf, and we have a minimum age of 13. > > Yes, there are frequently posts and threads ABOUT children. But those posts are made by teens and adults. That doesn’t mean that the boards are child friendly, it only means that the topic of children is not forbidden. Right. So why is the argument that the board is “specifically not child-centric or kid friendly” a relevant response to the OP? It’s completely beside the point, because the OP was never suggesting that the new forum be designed for children as participants; he was suggesting that there might be enough interest among the 13+ age group who are members of this board for a separate forum. I disagree with him, but the SDMB’s child-friendliness, or otherwise, is completely irrelevant to the issue. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2011, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-about-a-parenting-and-kid-stuff-forum/575925/44 "2011-03-27T06:05:13Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > So why is the argument that the board is “specifically not child-centric or kid friendly” a relevant response to the OP? It’s completely beside the point, because the OP was never suggesting that the new forum be designed for children as participants; he was suggesting that there might be enough interest among the 13+ age group who are members of this board for a separate forum. > > I disagree with him, but the SDMB’s child-friendliness, or otherwise, is completely irrelevant to the issue. I’m guessing here, but I suspect it might be something to do with the idea that having a “Parenting” forum is going to encourage new members (after all, consider how many one-shot posters we get who sign up to make one post to old zombie threads) who might be of the “Fretful Mother” variety, completely freaking out that people are allowed to use Bad Words!!1! and talk about Things They Don’t Like. In other words, they want it established that although people talk about parenting stuff here, this isn’t some Fluffy Bunny Happy Place where people only talk about G-rated stuff, I think. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2011, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-about-a-parenting-and-kid-stuff-forum/575925/45 "2011-03-27T12:18:57Z")
> [@Martini\_Enfield](#): > > I’m guessing here, but I suspect it might be something to do with the idea that having a “Parenting” forum is going to encourage new members (after all, consider how many one-shot posters we get who sign up to make one post to old zombie threads) who might be of the “Fretful Mother” variety, completely freaking out that people are allowed to use Bad Words!!1! and talk about Things They Don’t Like. > > In other words, they want it established that although people talk about parenting stuff here, this isn’t some Fluffy Bunny Happy Place where people only talk about G-rated stuff, I think. Eh, maybe they could walk away with a life lesson. The fact that a bunch of us have foul mouths shouldn’t impact whether we can discuss parenting and such in a specific forum. A: Can we have a forum to talk about parenting? B: No, kids aren’t allowed to post here. :dubious: eta: For the record, I don’t think the forum is necessary but if it was added, I wouldn’t mind. I do, however, care about dumb explanations. It seems like the more honest, and correct, response would have been: No, we don’t want that, based on our personal preferences and our gauge of the community. ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2011, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-about-a-parenting-and-kid-stuff-forum/575925/46 "2011-03-27T14:40:42Z")
> [@suranyi](#): > > That’s pretty much what I wanted to say. I don’t think there’s any reason to split up the forums more than necessary, but on the other hand, that phrase “not child-centric or kid friendly” sounded very weird to me. The SDMB is neither child friendly nor child unfriendly. People post about whatever interests them, and there are hundreds of threads about issues relating to children. > > For the first nine years or so of my membership I was not a parent, so I paid little attention to those threads. Now I am a parent, so I read those threads with interest. That’s what this board is for. We’ve had complaints in the past that this website didn’t do enough to be “family friendly,” that we didn’t censor adult topics, that we weren’t more accommodating to younger people who wanted to be here. We’ve always taken the view that this is an adult site with mature discussion. Doesn’t preclude family topics or parenting issues, but there’s no doubt other sites that are more disposed to this sort of thing and who do a better job than the Straight Dope. That’s appropriate to those other sites and maybe not so much to this site. Not anti- anything, just not focused so much on these topics. ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2011, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-about-a-parenting-and-kid-stuff-forum/575925/47 "2011-03-27T14:55:06Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > For instance, the “Elections” forum, with its 162 threads in 10 months, has amply demonstrated that the previously existing forum designations _were_ serving that need quite well. Yet there it is, a forum of its own, rather than being a collection of threads in GD. I’d just like to say that I’m glad those 162 threads don’t clutter up my thread browsing. However few there are, I’m glad they have their own forum. GameRoom too for that matter. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2011, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-about-a-parenting-and-kid-stuff-forum/575925/48 "2011-03-27T15:04:10Z")
> [@TubaDiva](#): > > We’ve had complaints in the past that this website didn’t do enough to be “family friendly,” that we didn’t censor adult topics, that we weren’t more accommodating to younger people who wanted to be here. You still haven’t explained how this is relevant to the OP’s suggestion. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2011, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-about-a-parenting-and-kid-stuff-forum/575925/49 "2011-03-27T16:48:13Z")
> [@Martini\_Enfield](#): > > I’m guessing here, but I suspect it might be something to do with the idea that having a “Parenting” forum is going to encourage new members (after all, consider how many one-shot posters we get who sign up to make one post to old zombie threads) who might be of the “Fretful Mother” variety, completely freaking out that people are allowed to use Bad Words!!1! and talk about Things They Don’t Like. > > In other words, they want it established that although people talk about parenting stuff here, this isn’t some Fluffy Bunny Happy Place where people only talk about G-rated stuff, I think. Maybe you’re right, but if so, it’s a stupid concern. The presence of a games forum hasn’t turned the SDMB into a gamer or sports-dominated board; the presence of the Barn House and the Chicago forums hasn’t turned the Dope into a specialized board about renovations or about Chicago. I see no reason to think that some other more specialized forum would transform the larger site. And if people join and then freak out about the adult conversations, they can either deal with it or move on, just like anyone else who joins and then finds that the place is not for them. Pretty simple really. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2011, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-about-a-parenting-and-kid-stuff-forum/575925/50 "2011-03-28T04:58:12Z")
> [@acsenray](#): > > You still haven’t explained how this is relevant to the OP’s suggestion. She wasn’t discussing the OP’s suggestion. She was replying to the “child friendly/unfriendly” subdiscussion. She had already directly addressed part of the OP’s suggestion in the FIRST REPLY MADE IN THE THREAD. She indirectly addressed the second part by not telling him that he was using the wrong approach. You can’t complain that he didn’t get a prompt, official answer. I do remember that several people were quite upset that we allowed adult discussions on this message board, and wanted us to start moderating the board so that they could use it as a resource for kids. At least one of these people was a librarian, IIRC, and she was upset that we wouldn’t alter our board to suit her purposes. I remember being quite surprised that a librarian, of all people, was trying to get us to do this. There are a lot of child or family friendly places on the internet. TSD isn’t one of them. ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2011, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-about-a-parenting-and-kid-stuff-forum/575925/52 "2011-03-28T08:13:33Z")
Reported. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2011, 8:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-about-a-parenting-and-kid-stuff-forum/575925/53 "2011-03-28T08:49:47Z")
And the thread has been despammed, thanks. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2011, 9:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-about-a-parenting-and-kid-stuff-forum/575925/54 "2011-03-28T09:41:30Z")
> [@Arnold\_Winkelried](#): > > The solution should not be adding a parenting forum, it should be getting rid of the Elections forum. Bahhhh… at least elections are important. OTOH, discussions of vaginas plopping out still more useless biomass, replete with its shrill, annoying bleating and never-ending demands on our precious resources… Who the hell wants to talk about that? (Unless it is discussions of how to convince the selfish breeders to cease their irrational quests of gaining some fantasized immortality via their pissing/shitting/fatheaded and helpless crumb-crunchers who contribute nothing but the cluttering of our planet.) If you really need to talk about your squirmy masses of waste, why don’t you just post on the message boards at: [http://www.awwwww/hes.soooo.pwesious/isnt.he.com](http://www.awwwww/hes.soooo.pwesious/isnt.he.com) or, [http://www.whos.the.sweetest.boy/hmm?/you.are.com](http://www.whos.the.sweetest.boy/hmm?/you.are.com) …And just leave the rest of us in peace. Christ… couldn’t you have just used birth control and avoided all this nasty bullshit anyway? ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2011, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-about-a-parenting-and-kid-stuff-forum/575925/55 "2011-03-28T12:02:55Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > She wasn’t discussing the OP’s suggestion. She was replying to the “child friendly/unfriendly” subdiscussion. She had already directly addressed part of the OP’s suggestion in the FIRST REPLY MADE IN THE THREAD. She said this > [@TubaDiva](#): > > While we can certainly discuss most anything and everything on this site we have always held ourselves out to be specifically not child-centric or kid friendly, even, and I would think that any step in that direction would be unwelcome to most of the community. the FIRST REPLY MADE IN THE THREAD. Dear God, what are you talking about? How could in not be in response to the OP, when there were no other posts? ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2011, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-about-a-parenting-and-kid-stuff-forum/575925/56 "2011-03-28T15:00:55Z")
It is entirely possible for someone to read a proposal for a “Kid’s stuff” forum as a request for an area for kids to read and post, i.e. a “child friendly” zone. Just sayin’. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2011, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-about-a-parenting-and-kid-stuff-forum/575925/57 "2011-03-28T16:42:41Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > It is entirely possible for someone to read a proposal for a “Kid’s stuff” forum as a request for an area for kids to read and post, i.e. a “child friendly” zone. > > Just sayin’. Maybe out of context it would - but the phrase used was “Parenting and Kid Stuff” and the request was for 1 thread, so in order to conclude that it was a request for a thread where children could post, one would have to assume that either a) someone wanted to specifically create a thread where parents posted about parenting and kids posted about random kid stuff; or b) the posters are young children who want to discuss parenting. I think that assuming that it was request for a thread where parents could post about parenting and stuff related to kids would make Occam a lot happier. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2011, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-about-a-parenting-and-kid-stuff-forum/575925/58 "2011-03-28T17:49:31Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > If “No” wasn’t one of the answers you were prepared to accept, I’m not sure why you included this part in your OP ;): I didn’t say I wasn’t prepared to _accept_ it; I just said I didn’t _expect_ a pre-emptive definitive reply. I was prepared to accept a ‘no’ answer, but not the bullshit ‘justifications.’ At any rate, the matter seems closed, so AFAIAC the mods are welcome to close this thread. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2011, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-about-a-parenting-and-kid-stuff-forum/575925/59 "2011-03-28T18:06:36Z")
**Darth Panda** , the context was the request for a _forum_ to discuss “Parenting and Kid Stuff”. A forum is sufficiently broad enough to include threads on parenting _and_ threads on “look at my cute kids” _and_ threads where kids post. I think it thoroughly reasonable for someone to have read the proposal and thought the request was for a “kid friendly” forum where not only could parents talk about parenting, but kids could post. Note that I do not think that is what was requested, just something that someone might have thought was requested. There’s also the assumption some people have that anywhere that is a forum for parenting discussions will be safe for G-rated parents. I think that was also affecting **TubaDiva** ’s response. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2011, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-about-a-parenting-and-kid-stuff-forum/575925/60 "2011-03-28T18:09:34Z")
> [@](#): > > I didn’t say I wasn’t prepared to accept it; I just said I didn’t expect a pre-emptive definitive reply. If it makes you feel any better, there was quite a bit of discussion about this in the mod email loop. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2011, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-about-a-parenting-and-kid-stuff-forum/575925/61 "2011-03-28T18:27:18Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > I think it thoroughly reasonable for someone to have read the proposal and thought the request was for a “kid friendly” forum where not only could parents talk about parenting, but kids could post. . I respectfully disagree. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-about-a-parenting-and-kid-stuff-forum/575925.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-about-a-parenting-and-kid-stuff-forum/575925.md?page=4)