Family friendly?

So here's it's Saturday again, and I decided that since we'd been stuck in the house all week with snow days and a sick little boy, it was time for a field trip. LuLu had been asking to go to the Art Museum for weeks, but I was a bit apprehensive about taking Big Butter to such a place. He had been really good at the History Museum, so I thought we just might be ok. Well, if you know my 4 year old curious ball of energy (who happens to suffer from the WORST case of selective hearing), you know that I was pretty insane to attempt such an adventure! I'm not a COMPLETE idiot, we did go over the rules...no running, spinning, shouting, and above all absolutely NO TOUCHING ANYTHING!!! I thought we'd be alright with the combination of threats and bribes I had come up with for him to be good. Oh...when will I learn? Actually it all started off pretty well and luckily there was hardly anyone there. They were really interested in everything. I was amazed at how much they liked this place! It's when we reached the second floor that things began to change. They had too many bored security guards and I guess we kind of stuck out a bit with the stroller, their loud boots and my constant "don't touch that!" The rooms were HUGE and it was just too hard to not run or experiment with the echos! Butter was warned to keep it down and slow down or we'd be out the door. But then he crossed the line...literally! There's a line on the floor that cannot be crossed; the first guard firmly pointed this out to us. Then he went into another room without waiting for us; the second guard pointed THIS out to me. "Ma'am, he REALLY needs to stay by your side." Next he headed for a room that had a ring of rocks on the floor (I really don't get modern art!) I was certain he'd start kicking them all into a big pile in the middle, but was incredibly relieved as he ran past them to the next room! My smile didn't last long...As he reached to touch a painting (good grief, a piece of canvas with rainbow stripes - looked like paint samples!) I said, "Don't touch it." at which point the guard came darting across the room with fire in his eyes and incredibly sternly said something like, "We REALLY can't have him in here if he's going to touch the pieces." Ok, I totally understand that. But he didn't touch anything...yet! This guy was really mean - seriously, it was worse than going to the Principal's Office - I was mortified! I apologized and explained that we were leaving! Well then Butter gets all mad, because he really wants to stay. One would think that then he'd be really good right? Oh no, he then actually touches a "sculpture" (looked more like a Lego tower to me) and I quickly pulled him into the elevator. He PROMISED he wouldn't touch anything else! So during a moment of temporary insanity, I agreed to give him another chance and we'd check out one more wing. As we looked at a living room from the 1700's, he leaned over the Plexiglas barricade (didn't touch anything, though) and set off an alarm! BEEP BEEP BEEP! Ok, that's it, we are SO outta here!!! As I quickly made my way towards the exit, I felt all of the stares and knew just what everyone was thinking (and I completely agreed!)...this is no place for wild boys! As Butter began to run up and down the hallway (it was a pretty cool ramp with a few stairs, too) I heard the guards talking over their walkie talkies about a woman with a stroller...That's right, alerting them all (and there were a ton of them!) to what? Keep an eye on us, escort us to the nearest exit, arrest us? I couldn't get out of there fast enough! Really, I couldn't! Butter wouldn't come with us. So I started off nicely, then gradually became a bit more stern, until in a moment of desperation, I picked him up (all 53lbs of him!) and attempted to carry him out the door. (As if we hadn't called enough attention to ourselves already!) Needless to say, that didn't work - the kid's just too big and strong! Finally I gave up and told him he could sit by the guard and work here, but we were going home. He took one look at that guy and decided it'd be ok to put on his coat and come with us! Luckily, Baby Butter was silent through this whole ordeal, and was actually almost asleep in his stroller. And LuLu, well, she gets to go again - on a "Girls' Day Out!" (I'll be in disguise, of course!) So for now, we'll just hope for an early spring so we can get back to the playgrounds and more 4-year-old-boy-friendly places.

One last thought...I really do understand the guards were simply doing their jobs, and my son really had no business being there, I just think they could have been a little nicer about the whole thing!