What to consider when taking your child to a live concert

My children adore music and there is something quite magical in experiencing live music, however, it is important to introduce your children to this fun activity in the right way.  Both my boys have been to concerts aimed at adults and families, in addition to live acts which are specifically designed for children such as The Wiggles.  I also know that Maxi would love tickets to see Eric Clapton  and have the time of his live watching him with his Grandad.

Considerations to make

1. How long is the concert?  Can your child sit though that length of time.  You need to be considerate of other people who have paid to watch the concert too.
2. Remember to factoring the travel time either side of the concert.  My friend Cass at Frugal Family went to an Olly Murs concert this week and they didn’t get out of the car park till 10ish and Master Frugal actually fell asleep during the concert.
3. Does the artist have a matinee.  One Direction often do as there target market is tweens and teens.
4. Is the band Child friendly - remember lyrics are not censored when live! Use your common sense.
5. Talk values.  Explain that you love the music, but do wish that the band wouldn’t swear and that often the flamboyance is put on for the stage. Your child needs to be mature enough to understand the difference.

You also have to bear in mind that artists can be temperamental and timekeeping is not their number one priority, which was highlighted this week when Justine Beiber was over 2 hours late on stage.  Concerts can be a great experience for children and I know that Miss Frugal had a blast seeing Olly Murs last week but the whole night would have been spoilt if he had been two hours late, especially on a school night.