Toronto Star

I was told not to film my child’s concert

Parent told reader that taping kid’s solo will upset others

- Karen Cleveland

My daughter has a solo in the spring concert. I plan to film it on my iPad but another parent told me that will upset the other parents. Who’s right?

Oh boy. Normally I’m totally against filming publicly because if you’ve ever been stuck behind a person filming, you know that it basically ruins your experience. A phone or tablet right in your view of the stage is the pits. This is a tough one because it is fair to say that no one else in the crowd will be as excited about your kiddo’s solo as you are, but surely they want to enjoy her performanc­e, too. Can you find a middle ground? Can someone from the school record it from a nice place that doesn’t ruin anyone’s sight line? That way your kid doesn’t get shy from the iPad filming directly in front of you, no one’s view gets obstructed and you still get a great video of your little soloist. I texted a friend to say that I’d be 20 minutes late for lunch and when I got there she was super mad. She went off on me saying that I am never on time. Come on, isn’t that just fashionabl­y late?

Texting makes it almost too easy to tell a friend that we are running behind schedule. And while 10 minutes isn’t the end of the world, if we are consistent­ly 15 minutes late, it might really start to grate a friend’s nerves. It sends a message, if even in a whisper, that our time is more precious than theirs. (Full disclosure: I am occasional­ly guilty of this, too, and bless my friends for loving me in spite of it.)

Particular­ly when someone is waiting on a meal, punctualit­y is important. Ten minutes late is fashionabl­y late. Fifteen minutes is unfashiona­bly late and well, later than that just isn’t good. If you are a serial offender, try putting appointmen­ts into your calendar 15 minutes before you are meant to be there. Literally try to trick yourself into being on time. And if you can’t realisti- cally get there on time, call (not text) to tell your friend. They can then make a decision on whether to hold off on ordering until you arrive or opt to go ahead without you.

Apologize once you arrive, regardless. Etiquette expert Karen Cleveland answers your questions about life online. Email her your questions: Karen@mannersare­sexy.com.

 ?? DREAMSTIME ?? ADVICE
It’s understand­able to want to get the perfect shot of your kid’s big moment, Karen Cleveland writes.
DREAMSTIME ADVICE It’s understand­able to want to get the perfect shot of your kid’s big moment, Karen Cleveland writes.
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