Children at Graduation (PIR)

[purplegiraffe69]

If you have been there before, can you tell me about how long the ceremony is and how quiet is it? Is this like a church service or more with music and loud shuffling? I am assuming with 720 recruits and over 3000 guests, it can't be that quiet?  We have a chance to bring everyone now, and i am worried about the  5th and the 6th (3 1/2 and 2 years old)

Can you step out if they are bad?   any info you can give me would be helpful, thanks!
Carrie

[Lydia PROUD MOM SHIP 09 DIV 013]

I had our 2 year old there for our older sons PIR. We arrived extremely early. I brought snacks and drinks for our lil guy as we waiting a long period of time before the ceremony started. I also sat lower in the bleachers and on the end so if we had to go potty it didn't disturb many people with us getting up and returning. Our son was so intrigued with all of them marching in and with the flags as well as the color guards. I am sure they will enjoy it too!
There were lotts of kids there too.
Just bring small things to keep them occupied prior to the ceremony as it does get crowded.
Enjoy your sailors PIR!!! It is amazing

[MomSeanEM2]

Of course you can bring them. We saw many with small children and babies. Like Lydia said some are intrigued with the performance. Some of the new sailors had wives with babies and they were dressed just like daddy in little sailor suits and sailor hats.Bring them little things they like to play with and snacks and a drink if they get thirsty. Believe me if any of the children cried or whatever I did not notice and you can take them out if you think they would be disturbing anyone.Its not like the kind of event like church where you could really hear a pin drop. By all means bring them because I'm sure your sailor will be happy they came to join is his celebration. If you get your bleacher seat early you can always have somebody in your party save your seats and you can even take them down to the floor and let them walk around so when the ceremony starts you can sit and know they got out some energy. I personally love children and did not find any to be a big disturbance at all. I thought they were all well behaved. Don't even think twice about bringing a young child. :)

[IndyMom]

Carrie. Hi.  Once the officers are seated at PIR you are directed to not leave your seats. Before they are seated you can move around freely and there is music, demonstrations, and video's being shown.  I would suggest if you are really worried about it that you could go to the upper bleacher area on the ends of the hall.  It is definitely not very quiet except during the speeches and I am sure they are use to children making noise -it is probably what you are more comfortable with.   Also, I had my very active three year grandson with us and he really liked it.  Luckily, once the ceremony started he fell asleep and didn't wake up until we went on the floor to see his uncle.

 

[Jenn (Proud AO Mom)]

I have a year and a half year old (my SR's sister) and went to PIR with a great family friend who lives nearby Great Lakes.  He is married and has 2 children a 3-1/2 year old and a 2 year old.  His wife and kids ended up staying home and I didn't bring my daughter and I have to say I'm glad I didn't.  I will preface this by saying that my son's PIR was only 4 divisions (it was the week of Thanksgiving) - so it wasn't quiet in the drill hall - but it wasn't noisy either.  The 2 hour wait before PIR began would have been my kid's undoing - she would have loved running around but would not have been happy to sit still for the rest of the time.  She is also a screamer when she feels like she isn't getting her way so I would have missed a lot of the PIR taking her out.  I would have also chosen to sit low on the end of the bleachers to be closer to the bathroom and doors out so I wouldn't have been able to sit in front of my son's division.  There were kids there and one family with a baby - probably about 9 months or so who ended up breaking down midway through the ceremony and was taken out.  It didn't bother me and didn't really seem to bother anyone around me.  But I know if it had been my daughter I would have been very self concious about it and worried the entire time that I was bothering people around me by trying to get her to sit still and not climb and fall all over the bleachers.  Again - that is just my opinion of what I felt and did about my own daughter.  That being said I didn't have any problem with anyone else there with there kids and the noise that they made.  I think it all falls to what you are most comfortable with. 

[purplegiraffe69]

thank you for all that info.  we will have 3 adults on the wait list, so i was thinking the small ones can stay in the "waiting" room with them.  less time out in the hall.  i really don't want to bring them at all, but no one wants to stay back and miss it!!!