Should I take my daughter to the circus?

[underpants]

I just realized that my daughter had never been to the circus. Ringing Brothers is shutting down - last show is My 21 in Uniondale NY.

https://hampton-coliseum.tickets-center.com/search/?performerId=726&kwds=Ringling+Bros+B%26B+Circus&nid=1

She's been to a Wiggles concert but not a circus. Not THE circus.
Disneyland - yes
Familiar with Joe Walsh - yes
Sailboat - yes
Hates clowns - yes
Mentioned genocide and Christopher Columbus in 4th grade - yes. Teacher agreed - yes
Eats her veggies including beets - yes

So, should I?

18 votes, 0 passes | Time left: Unlimited
	Yes
	12 (67%)
	No
	6 (33%)
	You are a terrible parent
	0 (0%)
	I'm a bit iffy on your parenting
	0 (0%)
	Fruit salad yummy yummy
	0 (0%)
	0 DU members did not wish to select any of the options provided.
Show usernames Disclaimer: This is an Internet poll

[CrispyQ]

1. Find an animal free circus.

Or perhaps I should say, human animal only circus.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

3. Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

The only animal free circus this coming week is the Trump Inaugural. I wouldn't take my daughter to that.

[A HERETIC I AM]

21. Animal free?

You sure?

[hunter]

23. Who's that handsome fellow? Is he interviewing Trump?

He's probably thinking he shouldn't have accepted that job at NBC news. It will forever stain his resume.

[lillypaddle]

4. Saw today that Ringling Bros.

B&B are shutting down for good.

Take her before it's a thing of the past.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/the-big-top-comes-down-ringling-bros-circus-is-closing/ar-AAlSxkf?OCID=ansmsnnews11

[Warren DeMontague]

5. I'd ask her.

[underpants]

6. So... don't bark orders?

Googling parenting.com

[Warren DeMontague]

7. Now I've got that fucking wiggles song in my head, too, so thanks.

It's like a bad flashback. Which one is obsessed with Food- Greg? Jeff is the one with Narcolepsy, I remember that much.

[underpants]

32. I did. She said - no thanks

Not interested.

[Warren DeMontague]

33. That's how I always felt about the Circus, too.

Just seemed sort of creepy and sad, and I always imagined it probably smelled funny, too.

[Maru Kitteh]

42. Good for her. nt

[etherealtruth]

8. Oh god no!

There are clowns there

[democratisphere]

11. We have a clown moving into the oval office.

Good opportunity for conditioning.

[elleng]

9. Yes. Went many years, at 'the Garden,'

and have fond memories.

[yewberry]

10. No.

Take her to an alternative like cirque du soleil or cirque vargas. Mummenschantz. I wouldn't subject a child to 'entertainment' based on the suffering of animals.

[oneshooter]

29. Both of those are being shut down also. n/t

[yewberry]

30. Where are you getting that information?

AFAIK, neither cirque du soleil nor cirque vargas is planning to shutter.

[democratisphere]

12. Go for it!

It could be your last opportunity to take her.

[TheCowsCameHome]

13. Go for it, by all means

She's only a kid once.

[JI7]

14. not unless she really wants to go.

[Sissyk]

15. Yes.

Every kid needs to experience the stinky bigtop and dirty animals while eating cotton candy after picking it up off the floor where they dropped it. Lol!

It's been a long time since I took the boys, but it was a very enjoyable, family event.

[demmiblue]

16. No, due to the animal abuse.

However, a childhood is never a childhood without seeing the Harlem Globetrotters or the Ice Capades (or the current manifestation)!

RIP, Meadowlark Lemon.

[underpants]

17. I got that as a birthday gift when I was 11

Front row seats at the Richmond Coliseum. No idea how mom could afford that.

[demmiblue]

18. I went a couple of times.

I remember being terrified that they would choose me to come down to the court.

[BainsBane]

19. I loved the circus as a kid.

So I say yes. And yes to cotton candy.

[greytdemocrat]

20. Why?

Why would you care what people here have to say???

[underpants]

24. U that's what a discussion is about

[alphafemale]

22. Ringling Brothers ending is not the complete end of circuses.

I'd talk to her about it.

Cirque du Soleil is a much more inventive show.

[Igel]

25. Yes.

Maybe she'll like it, and tell her kids that she saw the greatest circus in the US for generations.

Maybe she'll dislike it, and tell her kids that she personally saw what she disapproves of now (or will disapprove of later--these things change over time).

Either way, she'll have something to pass along about what amounts to an institution in a country where institutions have a bad name unless they were founded in the last several years by the politically and economically pure and maintained in a perfect and sinless state.

[Historic NY]

26. I always had fun when I was a kid....

my father used to organize http://www.circusesandsideshows.com/circuses/clydebeattycolebroscircus.html Clyde Beatty Cole circus that helped raise funds for the volunteer fire dept. The circus depended on local volunteers to help for free tickets and maybe a couple of bucks. My brother and I made the most collecting the elephant paddies, we sold them to older folks for their gardens. The circus is a fading piece of Americana, yeah there have been problems, but not ever circus had them. Sometimes being too politically correct blocks ones line of sight through the forest.

[woodsprite]

27. Went to Ringling Bros for the first time last year.

My daughter and I were at a Bernie rally in Baltimore. We didn't want to leave the city during rush hour, so I talked her into going to the circus with me.

Just make sure it's the whole 3-ring circus, and not one of their single ring offshoots. Went to one of those one time and was really disappointed. The full circus was awesome. And yes, I enjoyed it. All the acts were good, but they had some acrobats and skateboarders that were awesome!

[WhiteTara]

28. Cirque de Soliel is the answer

to any circus lover. Filled with excitement, beautiful costumes, high wire acts and the best acrobatics on the planet. And they are ALL willing participants without whips and chains to keep them in line.

[gollygee]

31. My daughter ended up being miserable at the circus

We went to that circus, spent a ton, and the whole time they kept coming up with other ways to try to fleece us out of money, and doing it in a way where my daughter got disappointed and cried over and over again when we didn't buy whatever experience they wanted to sell.

And I laughed at the PETA protestors on the way in, but by the time we left I wondered if they had a point. I have never gone to a circus again. It was a horrible experience.

[JI7]

39. even before i learned it was abusive i never found shows with performing animals entertaining

i would much rather just observe animals in their natural habitat. that is a lot more interesting to me. even if they aren't really doing much.

[pintobean]

34. Yes

[Blue_Warrior]

35. Definitely take her to Ringling - old fashioned, wholesome circuses are about to be extinct!

[mercuryblues]

36. Not my monkey

not my circus

[Paula Sims]

37. If you can get to a Cirque du Soleil - GO

It's pricey but more than worth it.

I saw my first in Orlando in 2001 (La Nuba) and have been hooked ever since. It's often my birthday/anniversary/Christmas/whatever present. . .

[canetoad]

38. Another vote for

Cirque Du Soleil. Or even a local group doing circus skills.

[meadowlander]

40. Yes, as an opportunity to practice critical thinking skills

but on the other hand, if the girl hates clowns, the girl hates clown.

As a side note, would recommend a Chinese circus if you ever get a chance. A bit like Cirque du Soleil but old school and probably cheaper. The one I saw in Shanghai had motorcycles running around in a globe cage each going about 150 mph without hitting each other.

Who doesn't love this?

[aikoaiko]

41. I took my son to Ringling 4 times between the ages of 5 - 9. I'm glad he'll have the memories.

Maybe its time of come and gone, but still I'm glad he was able to experience it all.