No.
At least, that's how simple it is at my home group.
A.A. is not a daycare center. People bring their babies and young children to some "open" meetings I go to and guess what? The kid misbehaves. Surprise surprise! These kids' folks aren't Ward and June Cleaver. These kids tend to be loud, disruptive, self-aware, and they don't behave like the rest of the group would want them to. Some are so young, that the parent puts the rest of a group into a situation that's not fair.
When you go to a movie theater, church, on a long coast-to-coast flight, or a nice restaurant, how do you like when you get stuck next to the crying baby? It's unbearable. In fact, Bose has come out with a set of noise-cancelling headphones which work pretty well... and retails for about tree-fiddy.
Screw that. I'd like to develop another gadget... the bubble-head®. The Bubble-head® is an invention of mine in the concept stage. It's a device that you put onto the baby's head that enables air to go in, but for sounds, fluids, etc. to stay in as well. It could be an ergonomic break-through as well. No more chiped teeth, broken noses, etc.
Anywho. No babies at meetings. Find a baby-sitter for an hour or two. If you can't afford child-care, keep your legs crossed. A.A. is for alcoholics. Disruptions suck.
W.C. Fields used to say, "Little children are to be seen and never heard." Unfortunately, that's not possible. My dad used to say to me, "Here's 5 dollars, go play on the freeway."
An SR-er:
"the long form of tradition 5 states that each aa group aught to be a spiritual enity having but one primary purpose, carrying the message to the alchoholic who still suffers.
This leave TONS of room for interpretation...it can support either side.
It doesn't say we judge who is suffering or who is not...it doesn't say that our purpose is best served by every person in the meeting being free from the sound of children.
Many things in the big book and the other literature are not specific...we bring our expereince to the issue and see it as we think it is ment...and since this is a disease of perceptions we are often quite wrong.
I have a lot of concerns about how the issue explained is being discussed and the answers formulated....because i have my own expereince within the program that colors my perceptions.
This is why my biggist concern in any decision making process on issues like this is when individuals have already decided in their mind what the right answer is and are simply playing lip service to the idea of a group concious (scuse my spelling lol) Naw! We wouldn't possibly judge you for that! We didn't even notice!
I would be hard pushed to set aside my own opinions and experience that helping the still suffering alchoholic goes beyond years of sobriety (not always just dry) and that the welfare of the individual follows CLOSELY after that of the group...how harmed are the others really... And HOW do we best help the alchoholic who still suffers?
I think what we are suppose to do is enter the arena with an open mind for a solution for all rather than an agenda of whats best for everyone...we have never managed the world well..that is our problem is it not.
the traditions are suppose to bind us together in action...not be used to drive us appart .... I have staunchly supported specific interpreatations of the traditions within my home group that I believed were absolutely correct...and still do.....yet the result was that i added to the disharmony, spintered the group..rather than working together for a common solution.
I made my ammends for that years ago...and have kept that in mind very carefully the last few years.
but i have to say it cause i'm still sick...krikes! a crying baby is gonna keep someone from getting sober?????
Oh, and this is a poster with some "cred..."
Posts: 11,502
So yeah, Tradition 5 aught two bee a spearichyouall intity and stough... so reconize bich!
Ana... I'm with you in spirit. We are a bunch of drunken bastards and mean as weasels when we get sobered up compared to the olden days when we were nice and all fuckered up.
You didn't splinter the group. The minority fucking opinion is the most important one. The "calm still voice" is the voice of God and is rarely heard.
We sober drunks are intolerant bastards when we wanna be, and we always wanna be. But what the hell? Some of us came to the meeting to get away from the kids, right? When you invite folks over and they have kids, guess who gets the remote? They don't want to watch Boise State play Oregon. No. They want to watch Dora the Stupid Twit. Kid TV sucks. Unless they're watching South Park, Aqua Teen, Robot Chicken, Spongebob, or Mad Men.
So yeah, Tradition 5 aught two bee a spearichyouall intity and stough... so reconize bich!
Ana... I'm with you in spirit. We are a bunch of drunken bastards and mean as weasels when we get sobered up compared to the olden days when we were nice and all fuckered up.
You didn't splinter the group. The minority fucking opinion is the most important one. The "calm still voice" is the voice of God and is rarely heard.
We sober drunks are intolerant bastards when we wanna be, and we always wanna be. But what the hell? Some of us came to the meeting to get away from the kids, right? When you invite folks over and they have kids, guess who gets the remote? They don't want to watch Boise State play Oregon. No. They want to watch Dora the Stupid Twit. Kid TV sucks. Unless they're watching South Park, Aqua Teen, Robot Chicken, Spongebob, or Mad Men.
