HOA meetings (lawyer, neighborhood, wealthy) - Charlotte - North Carolina (NC) - City-Data Forum

mrsclmn · 08-25-2009, 10:26 AM

Is it generally acceptable or unacceptable to take a child to a HOA meeting? I would like to attend my first HOA meeting and had planned to take my almost 4 yr old, but my neighbor was saying she wanted to go, if she could find someone to watch her boys. I'm not sure if she wants to find a sitter because they are rambunctious or if it's just not general practice to take kids along.

mullman · 08-25-2009, 10:38 AM

I have taken one, or both of my daughters at a similar age.

The question is can the child be quiet, self entertained (color, draw), & generally well behaved for an hour or more in a 'business' environment.

If you can answer 'yes', then you should be absolutely fine, don't worry about the other adults.

car421 · 08-25-2009, 11:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mullman

I have taken one, or both of my daughters at a similar age.

The question is can the child be quiet, self entertained (color, draw), & generally well behaved for an hour or more in a 'business' environment.

If you can answer 'yes', then you should be absolutely fine, don't worry about the other adults.

Ditto. A board meeting is exactly what it sounds like. There is official business reguarding the neightborhood going on. If you can keep your child quiet and seated for more than 1 hr, it should not be an issue, but I can tell you thsat most of our meetings run close to 3 hrs. But you also do not need to stay for the entire lenght. If you can get a sitter go for it. Getting involved in your HOA is never a bad thing and by attending meetings is a good first step.

vindaloo · 08-25-2009, 01:58 PM

Yes, what Mullman says goes. My wife and I are the president and secretary of our HOA. We have no problem with kids just so they are quiet and don't cause interruptions.

Jake Ryan · 08-25-2009, 07:33 PM

Agree with the other posters. As long as they can entertain themselves and your not interrupting the meeting by talking to them you should be fine. Where is the meeting being held? If it is at a Board Members house, you may want to check with them first also.

mrsclmn · 08-26-2009, 05:42 AM

Thanks for all the responses. It was at a church and there were SEVERAL children there. They all sat in the back and watched a dvd someone's mom had for her kids. The younger ones colored. I brought crayons and activity sheets for my daughter that she didn't even use.

I guess since we are still a new community, the board hasn't been turned over to the HOA yet, so there was only the rep from the management company there giving info and trying to answer questions. I'm glad I went and it seems like we have some great neighbors who really care about the neighborhood. We were all crammed in a small room, and the management company rep was saying he had no idea there would be that many people there. I guess the last meeting there were like 10 people, this time I think there were over 50.

Mt-7 · 08-26-2009, 05:46 AM

They can become heated, you need all your concentration on what is being discussed, it is your money you know!
If I was wealthy back in the day I would have hired a lawyer to go to mine.