Parents today are not parents.

If they cannot control kids, dont have them.

Weddings are not a place for them to be running loose!

What next security guards to keep kids on a leash while the parents ignore them?:mad:

99% the parents' fault. A four-year-old should not be running around alone.

Although, the person with the pepper spray should have kept it in a zipped purse or something.

Ditto.

If people would learn that ONLY the people's names written on the inner envelope are invited, we wouldn't have the problem of including it on the invitation! So many people get that envelope & assume that "Mr. & Mrs. John Smith" automatically = AND KIDS which is absolutely does not. Nor does "Ms. Jane Smith" automatically = AND GUEST, but I digress...

ShaedyKD, although it is not proper etiquette to include "adults only" on the actual invitation, more & more couples are finding themselves having to add it because people either don't understand, or don't WANT to understand, that the names listed on the inner envelope are the only invited guests. As a wedding planner, I would prefer the faux pas of wording it on the invitation versus the faux pas of having unruly kids show up for the event.

And as for the kids running around - I am the mom to a 4 year old, and I am absolutely on him like a hawk. However, he IS four, and you would be surprised (you non-mom's would be - anyone who has or has had a toddler wouldn't be ;) ) how quickly they can get into things! I was such a great mom before I had kids.... :p

My daughter is almost TWO. If you bring it in to her (our, but she thinks it's her) house, it's fair game-she's going to touch it, and probably attempt to claim it. BUT when we are out in public, she doesn't touch things that aren't given to her (with the exception of clothes at the clothing store...she sees everyone else touching them, so it's hard to teach her why SHE shouldn't touch them).

I cannot imagine a FOUR year old who doesn't know better then to touch other people's things, but like ya'll have pointed out, we know where to look for that.

If I were the bride, I'd be tempted to send the bills for any unused items (due to the clearing out from the pepper spray) to the parents. No child at any age should be in other people's purses or keys. Yes, children are curious, but that's why raising a child is called parenting.

If you can take the time to have a child, then take the time to teach the child his or her boundries - including the sanctity of going through other people's property!!

My cousin did something I liked, even though not proper etiquette it seemed to work well for them. When they invited people who had younger children (cousins under 10 mostly) they included a short personal note saying "While we love children, we would perfer not to have them at our wedding. Thank you in advance for your understanding." In our family it's common to invite the whole family to weddings if you are related, but they felt like any of the kids under 10 would be bored and have trouble behaving. When they returned from their honeymoon they had a housewarming party where they invited everyone including the younger kids and asked it be sans gifts.