fromVernon Balmer Jr. <f-----@gmail.com>
toHeather Murphy Monteith <heather@babylovesdisco.com>
dateTue, Jul 22, 2008 at 10:41 AM
subjectRe: Baby Doesn't Know What Disco Is.
mailed-bygmail.com
7/22/08
Thanks for responding. Time will tell, maybe. All the information I got was from an article about your "group", from those involved. I would caution you that, a lot of "experiments" that started out as such, turned into organized debauchery. Granted, segregation can be detrimental, but I doubt that any caring parents would have their children at a party supervised by other children. What I am concerned about is in my first email, specifically, children partying with adults. Also, once a homegrown idea is commercialized, being far removed from the originator and it's original, heartfelt and sincere intent, it is easily perverted. By then, the network is in place, to expand.
Thanks for your wish that I keep breathing.
Keep thinking of our children. Some villages weren't so kind to them.
On 7/21/08,
Heather Murphy Monteith <heather@babylovesdisco.com> wrote:
Are you thinking for yourself? Really? Or jumping on a soapbox about something you "heard" about -third hand? (Oooops. Don't slip!)
So.. Let's be civilized here....
Good evening, Mr. Balmer, and thank you for reaching out. My name is Heather Murphy Monteith and I am the founder of Baby Loves Disco. I am a scorpio, a vegetarian and i don't squish spiders... and Oh! right, ...I am also a mom of two lovely children that i give my absolute all to... It's because of them that i started a pretty great family event and folks around the world really love it! Also, this has been a labor of love for 4 years now and no, i have not made a penny doing this, though we do support our non profit of choice, Alex's Lemonade Stand, which fights childhood cancers.....
Honestly, it is sad to read your response and reaction to Baby Loves Disco and I actually am not sure of your disgust and exact concerns. Have you ever been to an event? Did you take in the WHOLE picture of what Baby Loves Disco is? I do think that Baby Loves Disco, as a concept, is something that as a concept may be hard for some folks to understand, at first, but as an event, folks experiencing it only have rave reviews. I would like to respond to you and add just a few comments and some more information. First of all, I believe in the African proverb which states: "It takes a village to raise a child". My inspiration for creating Baby Loves Disco is the desire to create a community event with a kid-centered, yet "real life" perspective... I feel very strongly that a major fault in American culture is the tendency towards separating "types" of people: rich from poor, black from white and young from old. A major talent of American culture is the ability to create a whole lot of specific events and environments to satisfy each group. As you know, the typical child events stretch from the "Chucky Cheese" experience to the local Zoo, museums and of course, Gymboree. I have to say that my son takes away some fun from these experiences but with an amount of dumbed-down perspective and commercialism that I find offensive. (Our Zoo is sponsored by a car manufacturer and a local junk food chain.) "Disney" seems to creep into anything that involves children and the "made to order" environments imply a world that serves too easily to the limited attention span. What can you do? We go to these places and events a handful of times per year, but in the end our children are exposed to and learn more from everyday life and the rituals that we, as parents and as teachers, share with them. Baby Loves Disco is an urban experiment and experience that challenges many norms. We have grandparents in attendance... some families have two moms or are single-parent families... there are corporate moms employed by "Clear Channel" and there are young, pierced and tatooed, dads... there are dark and light and cafe au lait babies, some are adopted and others are with their nannies... Baby Loves Disco serves as a meeting ground for parents, friends, family and caregivers of young children- a place to chat and be social while dancing with the little ones... or to read a book to a toddler in the "chill-out room"..... or nurse an infant in a public place that embraces and celebrates the intimate act of feeding ones child. This event serves the priorities of the family and its village- refusing to separate these concerns of parent vs. child and refusing to accept that parenting is an isolated experience- while striving to create a resonant experience for all in the sprit of sharing music and dance. As humans we are only a sum of our experiences and memories. Baby Loves Disco embraces an urban culture of parenting that remembers and celebrates our histories as people and shares them with our children in a safe and fun way... Aren't we lucky? The decible level is around 75dbl and the music played is mostly classic disco... plus lots of rare 80's and some contemporary, clean, hits. The bubble maching is a crowd favorite as are the egg shakers and scarves... The kid's fare is a plethora of gourmet and mostly organic snacks and juice boxes. I invite you to come see for yourself (if you have a kid that is, only folks attached to one are admitted)...but come early because we do sell-out when the dance floor gets tight. Max and Isa and I like our "Little People's" music class every Thursday morning but we really have a blast and love dancing with our friends at Baby Loves Disco. Oh, and yes, not to forget... the bar is indeed open for non driving parents, and yes, parents can choose to have a beer or wine- though most don't- and those that do act responsibly and enjoy sipping on their one, adult drink without guilt. We've never had an issue with this. ... but remember this is a FAMILY event and folks are here to be comfortable like at a family picnic or baseball game and based on the reports form the venues, the bar sales are mostly comprised of diet coke.... Sorry to disappoint you here, as i think that was your strongest argument against the whole idea, correct?
Inhale , Exhale and have a great night!
Heather
Heather Murphy Monteith, founder
BABY LOVES DISCO, LLC
www.babylovesdisco.com
On Jul 21, 2008, at 5:17 PM
Vernon Balmer Jr. wrote:
Another gimmick to take peoples money and use children to do it, without thinking about the effects.
