How Young is too Young to go to a Meet?

I know what you're saying, but...I'm in my teens, and I love to hang out with older folks who share my interests! Sometimes you need a friend with a more mature outlook, and they can give really good advice! I think making older friends can be a really good experience! But, as everyone else is saying, please be careful!! Not everyone is Obi-Wan Kenobi, and though most people would be glad to meet you and talk about dolls, there are exceptions...but as long as you follow the advice all these lovely people have given you, you should be fine. Good luck!

 

Well my 10 year old son attends meet ups and has been for a year now since he received his first doll for his birthday last year. Obviously he isn't attending these meet ups alone though, both hubby and I are present. My rule for meet ups that we host in our own home is that I prefer no one under 16 or 17 without a parent present just for liability sake. With parent is fine, or if I know the family really well. We don't have a lot of minor members whose parents aren't also members though so it hasn't been an issue. My 5 year old will also on very very rare occasions attend a small meet up. I don't do it often though because while he loves dolls and has his own, he gets bored easily at meet ups. So the meet has to be in our home where he has something else to do when the boredom hits.

Like the other posters have said, just plan to have a responsible adult with you and there is no reason you cannot attend. Your age should not be a barrier to your enjoying a meet up.

 

I agree with a lot of the other posters. Its really more about maturity than age. There are mature 12 y/o that I would be okay handing my doll to, and middle aged people I wouldn't want anywhere near them! If you are mature enough to respect people, and their dolls I would be okay if you were at a public meet.

Also, though I do want to stress that having an adult is important. I don't babysit, and while I would feel really bad leaving if the meet was over and nobody came to pick up a younger person, I would also not be responsible for hanging out and supervising until someone showed up. And you DON'T really know people online, no matter what your age. I'm 28 and I still take my husband or sister with me to meet people the first time. I have met people irl from online and it has gone horribly wrong. (not doll people, but still) No harm was done, but someone who was very sweet and fun online turned out to be really creepy in real life.

Also, there is the matter of age appropriate content. I think most doll meets in public would be safe. But private meets can be very different. I have doll meets at my house sometimes and I don't allow any under-aged guests simply because it really turns into more of an adult party with doll people than an actual doll meet. lol I think the best thing to do is just talk to others that plan to go and find out what can be expected and if there are age restrictions for any reason (like the pub someone mentioned).

There is also the matter of people bringing kids to meets. This is a little different than the OP's question, but still worth mentioning. Personally, I am VERY uncomfortable around small children. No offense to anyone, but if I found out there would be small children at a meet, I would not go. I'm not talking about people bringing mature kids that own BJDs, but people bringing babies or toddlers because they didn't have a sitter. I am not okay with kids touching my dolls, screaming or running around and causing chaos near such valuable items. I think I would be so anxious that I wouldn't have any fun at all. Again, no offense to anyone, I just don't like having my "kids" around real kids.

 

I'm just going to agree with everyone else, pretty much: Don't go alone, tell someone where you're going and behave. No one wants a child ruining their good time, but a 13-year old who acts relatively mature is perfectly acceptable. Age isn't an issue so much as maturity. And go with an "adult", meaning someone old enough to handle things (16+ at youngest).

I haven't gone to my first meet yet, but I'd be less inclined to go if I knew there were going to be minors running around, grabbing dolls and wreaking havoc.

 

It really depends on the individual young person and the exact situation. A young unaccompanied minor could make for an uncomfortable situation for other meetup members as they would be having to take responsibility for that person which is a lot to ask. It's also not as safe for the child in question. However, if that young person where accompanied by someone older that can be responsible for them, that changes the situation a lot. I've been to a number of meetups where there were people of very different ages present, and everyone got along fine, and there were no problems, so don't let age stop you from attending -- just use good sense and you should be ok.

 

I've never been to a meet but I would definately suggest you bring a parent with you. I personally would not mind someone your age being there but from what I have read some of the conversations can turn more adult oriented. If you were my child I would want to know where you were and who you were hanging out with.

 

I've been to loads of meet ups at cons were 80% of the people there were under 18 , and didn't have an adult with them , the youngest one that I know of was 14,

of course cons are a bit different because your in the "line of sight" of at lest 100 people at any time.

 

I'm pretty much echoing what's already been said: I don't think there's a set age limit to attend a meet, but minors should really have a trusted adult with them. Actually I think everyone should attend a meet with a friend the first time around, or at least tell people where they are going. And the same rules of respect apply regardless of age: not touching dolls without asking, clean hands, etc.

 

My daughter goes with me to meets, but I made sure to clear it with some other members of the group first. Once they saw that she was a responsible doll owner nobody had a problem with her attending.

I'd never let her go alone to a meet or, when she gets older, anywhere with people I don't know.

 

Personally, i think that is a bit excessive. IMO. I mean i see kids alot younger than 18 riding around on the trains by themselves. IMO, you really only need an adult present if you are under 16. I mean if you can have a job, then i'd say just be careful, and always tell people where you are going, but i don't think it's necessary to bring an adult when ur over 16.

 

I suppose under 17/18 years old going with a parent or someone considered as an adult is a good thing to do since we never know.

But I do think that there is no real age to go to a meet. If you are a fan of BJD, and want to know more about them its a very nice experience to discover some mold and touch them in real life. I wish I could have been to a meet myself before buying my first doll . Then I could have an idea of what i'm spending my money in and not buying a doll that "I think" could work.

Even if you are like 13 years old, its sound very young if I compare to the ages of the person I see in meetings but its like having any other hobby and if you wanna know more about dolls and ask questions in person, you have plenty of people with experience that can help you.


EDIT: Again 17/18 years old is in my own opinion because I would personally don't care if even at my age (21) my parents would come with me, but if I was a mother of a 17 years old I am legally still in charge of my kid and i'd prefer to not let her/him kid go with people I don't know. But if my child was 18+ she can legally take care of herself and as an adult she have right to go in any meeting she want.

The important thing is to let know your parents where you go I suppose. There is no age to do that, my dad is like 50 years old and more and he still tell us quick when he go out. No need to do a big speech about it, just let know where you are when you go to to different place than usual and such. You never know.

 

I don't believe there is an 'age limit' on meets either, but if you're a younger member you should take sensible precautions: We have someone your age in our local doll community and when she attends meets we insist that she bring an adult with her, simply for the reason that we cannot not be legally responsible for her in the case of an emergency.

 

My first thought was to say anyone under 16 should bring a parent, but others bring up a very good point in that 16 and 17 years olds are still considered minors. Therefore I think anyone under the age of 18 should have a parent/relative/guardian within the vicinity, simply because of possible legal issues. I'm not saying they have to be right there hovering over some of the older teenagers, but at least somewhere within the building and a quick cell phone call away. It's not super-fun for the teenager, but it's a good practice until you're of age.

Personally I think that I would be uncomfortable if a younger person showed up without an adult, because I have natural protective instinct and would feel obligated to make sure they stayed safe and had proper transportation at the end of the meet. I know that's a personal thing, but like someone else said, we shouldn't be forced to "babysit" (I've had enough experience with this in retail :P). If I'm busy paying attention to someone's minor, I'm not going to pay as much attention to my dolls or have as much fun interacting with other members of the meet.

As far as little children go, I don't have a problem with them being there as long as the parent keeps a watchful eye and the kidlets are polite. If we go to the park and a parent just lets their kids run wild, knocking over dolls and grabbing things, yeah, I'm going to be upset. But a well behaved child is more than welcome, and if they're a bit unruly but the parents take them to hand, then everything should be ok.

I definitely agree with those that say to talk to the meet-up group first. Every group is different, and communication will ensure that everyone is comfortable.

 

In my opinion, if you're (using the hypothetical you, not you directly, OP) a minor you need to have an adult with you, mainly because I don't feel its my responsibility to risk liability if you get hurt.

However, at the same time, I personally think that meets depend on both maturity, and age. I'm 26, and truth be told a lot of the folks going to the meets I go to are usually 17 and up. As such, we don't exactly talk about junior high school stuff, and sometimes if a 13-14 year old is there I think it's awkward on both sides.

 

I am sure you are totally mature enough to go to a meet. Just make sure you have an adult with you, so you aren't meeting up with complete strangers alone. Seriously... lol. I wish I could go to a meet, but there's nothing around here. :/

 

I think that unless you are able to be trusted by yourself (usually past the age of 12-13), I'd say bring an adult or mentor. I'm 27 and I'd still like someone to come with me, lol, but that is more because the meets I go to are about 45 min to 1hr away. If you think that you could get along with the people in the group, great! See if they are protective of you, because as long as you have someone who's got your back, you should be OK

 

Hey, I'm in pretty much the same boat as you, I'm 13 and really want to go to a meet.
But reading what other people have put I think if I can persuade my Dad (since my mom is uninterested in dolls. Backwards, I know) I may be able to go to a meet in Birmingham (west midlands, UK) probably next year. Or maybe if anyone on here goes to J-culture Con that would be fun too. But I'd definitely bring an adult, even if it's just for some back-up.

 

there are doll collectors of all ages and I personally dont see anything wrong with a 13 year old going to a meet so long as they have a guardian, especially if it is a long distance from home.

 

Personally, having just been to one, if you are younger (Under 17 or so), you should have an adult. You should also be mature enough to be comfortable around people who are older than you. I had a great time at mine, and I'm 18, so, I guess it just depends on if your a social butterfly or not.