Parents and their babies/toddlers...

[DesignFox]

So, there was a thread on CS where everyone was talking about toddlers in movie theaters.

I wanted to bring it over here so I could bitch about it a bit.

Frankly, any child under the age of 3 doesn't belong in a movie theater, especially late at night. They DO NOT have the attention span to sit and be quiet for 2 hours straight. I've not yet seen a kid that young that has. I went to see Shrek the Third, and while I expected there to be many children in the theater (pleasantly, all well behaved, I might add!), I wanted to do bodily harm to the parents with their toddler who was screaming and wailing. I finally got fed up and said (a little loudly) "Take that damn toddler out of here!" (I think the Dad heard me, cause he did!) They are disruptive. It's not fair to ME to pay 10 bucks to sit around and listen to wailing. If you insist on bringing precious to the theater, remove yourselves if you make a disturbance.

I am one of those people who PURPOSELY goes out LATE so I can AVOID people with children. I like watching movies and eating my dinner in quiet. I don't even go to bars because I don't want to listen to loud annoying adults.

If you have toddlers, keep them home after 10pm for crying out loud! And keep them out of the theater! You aren't the only one who pays for the experience.

EDIT:
I realize not all parents are bad at it, nor are all children screaming brats...or even all toddlers. (actually, I quite miss working with little ones!) But, seriously. I mean, my parents took care of me if I started causing problems...they didn't let me sit around and wail and scream and be a nuisance. SOME children are really very good! And sometimes, they are just being kids. I have absolutely NO PROBLEM with this. But, I do resent people bringing two year olds into a movie theater, especially when they ignore them when they start getting fidgety and making noise. It just isn't fair to the people around them.

[blas87]

I totally agree with you. Children especially do not belong at R rated and gory films, especially those with lots of swearing, sex, nudity, blood and guns. I feel for the employees at the theater, they can't say no.

I have friends my age who have at least one or two kids. I completely understand that they feel a little left out...and I understand some people want their social life back and to be able to do what they used to do before having kids....but for the love of God, don't bring your kid with you to the latest Blood and Guts fest!

[DesignFox]

Oh that sucks the worst! I remember seeing Jurassic Park when I was a teenager, and some dumbshit brought a 5 year old! Hello lady! The movie is rated PG-13 for a reason! This isn't a Barney fest! (Yes, the kid got scared when T-Rex roared and tried to eat the kids...but thankfully, he was REMOVED).

I mean really...some people just don't THINK. And there is especially no excuse with today's rating system. They don't just slap a letter on there...they painstakingly detail exactly WHY that movie is rated the way it is.

[blas87]

This one may rile up some, but I also think children do not belong in bars. If I want to go out with my friends after a hard week's work, I do not want to hear high pitched yelling and shrieking and have to deal with kids playing tag around my table. I just spent all week being yelled at and dealing with people with the mentality of 2 year olds for Pete's Sake........

[the_std]

I agree with you, but I'm biased. I hate being around kids at all times. I can't say I hate kids, cause it's not always their fault, but their presence is worse than the drunkest, most lecherous, perverted SC you can think of. They annoy me that much. And it's simply because I have no idea how to relate to children. None whatsoever. So hearing them in places where they shouldn't be (late-night or R movies, bars, etcetera) just makes it worse.

[Greenday]

This one may rile up some, but I also think children do not belong in bars. If I want to go out with my friends after a hard week's work, I do not want to hear high pitched yelling and shrieking and have to deal with kids playing tag around my table. I just spent all week being yelled at and dealing with people with the mentality of 2 year olds for Pete's Sake........

Yea, that pisses me off too! I mean, I have trouble getting into bars since I'm 20. Why the hell are little kids allowed in there but I'm not? I just want to hear the band!

[daleduke17]

Even though I'm going to be a parent sometime in the next few weeks, I wholly support restaurants not letting ANY kid (15 and younger) into a restaurant after a certain time (say, 8pm). Doesn't matter if a parent or guardian is there, 8pm hits...they don't come in (they can stay if they are there already, but not for an obscene amount of time (more than an hour would be sufficient).

But, I know what would happen. "You can't do this, that's discrimination" or "But, I'm their parent..." or other bullshit, along with letters to the editor, corporate and other groups. Wouldn't discrimination be saying "You're *minority* child isn't allowed in here" or something similar?

[AFPheonix]

Age discrimination is discrimination, too. I'm sure I've been in a restaurant after 8 when I was a kid at some point in my life, it didn't kill anyone near me. But then, I was a well behaved child.

I realize that parents want to get out and do stuff, but in this day and age where tvs and sound systems and blue-ray and whatever makes viewing movies at home better than in the theaters, there's no reason to inflict a squalling kid on other people who are paying outrageous prices for tickets.
I went to the midnight premier of one of the LOTR movies, and a woman across the aisle from me had brought her newborn with her. Thankfully, it stayed asleep even with the loud noises, but still, that could have been ugly. Yeah, it was a good movie, but couldn't it have waited for a baby-sitter? I don't really mind kids a whole lot, but I do mind parents who put them in unreasonable situations and then carry on as if nothing is wrong.

[Slytovhand]

...for crying out loud!

hahaha.. that's funny... given the thread :P

[Norton]

I'm one of those crotchety people who dislikes kids in general. The sound of kids shrieking, yelling or crying is painful to me. Strangely, I'm good with kids and they seem to like me.

I hate crying/loudly misbehaving children in enclosed places - especially if the enviroment isn't kid-friendly to begin with (gorey horror movie, heavy drinking, late-night anything). Too many parents seem to tune out little junior's shrieks, or worse encourage it. "Aww, isn't that cute! I bet he'll be an opera singer!"
No, that unholy ear-piercing wail is not cute.

I was no angel when I was little, either. However, if I acted up in public, my mother was quick to whisk me off to the ladies room or the car and spank me. She never hit very hard, but just the embarassment of being removed and punished was enough for me to quickly learn how to behave in public.

I understand that parents shouldn't have to sacrifice their entire social lives, but isn't it common sense that having kids puts a lot of limits on socializing? If a person wants to act like a teenager for the rest of their lives, that's their perogative - but to have a child and refuse to relinquish any of one's social life is selfish both to the child and the child-free people some parents subject their spawn to. Little kids don't want to watch mommy get drunk with her friends at 10 pm, and they don't want to watch that nightmarish movie with daddy - it's not healthy. Either get a babysitter, or give up on your night out.

See, I'm very selfish. I don't want to give up my ability to get wasted on a Friday night and then sleep it off on Saturday. I want to go see horror movies late at night. I want to spend time with other adults. Knowing this, I've chosen not to have kids - they'll ruin my good time. Still, some parents won't let their fun be spoiled, so they bring their kids to innapropriate places, and don't even discipline them when they misbehave.

[the_std]

Age discrimination is discrimination, too.

Agreed. But I don't think anyone here is discriminating against children, just pointing out that there are some places that are not appropriate for them because of circumstances beyond their control, but well within the control of their parents.

Edit: Whoops, sorry, I didn't realize you were replying to another poster with this comment.

[Titi]

I have to repeat again what I said on CS (since so many people are on the under 4 don't have that the attention span for movie) that it depends on the child.

I did mention on CS (after making sure my potty training 2 year old went to bathroom.) That she got mad me for making her miss some of the movie, what I didn't tell was that for 2 days she hardly talked to me (she could get herself onto to her potty at home, and she pulled it into her room at nights.) due to it. Corpse Bride was a long movie, (so long I could barely stand it.) and when I asked why she wasn't talking to me, she (In 2 year old speak.) told me that she did it because I forced her to go to bathroom and miss the movie.

I bought the movie when it came out on DVD (years later) and it is still her favorite.

[AFPheonix]

Agreed. But I don't think anyone here is discriminating against children, just pointing out that there are some places that are not appropriate for them because of circumstances beyond their control, but well within the control of their parents.

Edit: Whoops, sorry, I didn't realize you were replying to another poster with this comment.

Yeah, I just hate quoting a post if it's just above mine. I guess I could use carrots to indicate that who I'm responding too, but that's 3 whole extra key strokes! I could break a nail and all

[DesignFox]

Titi, that's all good and fine. First of all, wasn't Corpse Bride a kid's movie? Secondly, did you take her after 9pm? Thirdly, was she a disturbance at all?

I think the circumstances are different, there. If she was screaming and crying, I'm sure you would have brought her outside. If it was a rated R movie, I'm sure you probably would leave her home.

If I go to a rated R movie, you can bet I'm upset when I see little kids in there.

If I go see a cartoon for kids, I EXPECT there to be lots of young children. But you can bet I will be upset with a screaming child not being removed/told to behave itself. I will also be a little affronted with parents bringing toddlers to the 10pm showing- I picked that showing because kids should be in bed at the time- at least, very young ones.

And I stand by the opinion that a 3 year old or younger probably should have been left home in the first place. I understand there are exceptions...maybe it isn't right to generalize... but again, that's why I go places at night.

Don't get me wrong, please. I absolutely adore children. But when I'm trying to have a nice night out with my hunny, or enjoy a movie, I really don't want to listen to wailing and screaming. It's called the "terrible twos" for a reason, and I don't think it's fair for parents to inflict that on people surrounding them- especially when the situation could be avoided or remedied. Parents should not have to be hermits because they have a baby or toddler, but they should pay attention to their child's limits.

I'm glad there are some people, at least here, that clearly do.

[aniwahya]

Parents need to be electrically shocked when they don't control their kids. I'm not talking about a minor amount, hook 'em up to a car battery, would take a lot fewer shocks that way.


Just this weekend I am at JC Penny's with my mom and grandma. Both grandma and I are visibly disabled. Hell I even have a epidural* that goes everywhere with me. We get done shopping, and mom tells me and grandma to go sit while she checks out. No problem, except there are two small kids playing in the space between doors to the outside and doors to the inside where the bench is. Shouldn't be a problem, other than intermittent high pitched noises sounding like small animals being tortured and killed. That I can deal with, what went horribly wrong was that as soon as we got in the door, and she saw us heading for the bench this little brat ran and jumped on it, taking up fully half of it (she spread out in a manner strangely reminiscent of a cat). I let grammar sit down, and wandered back inside making a few comments that the mother could clearly hear. Until the rest of the line, except the mother and those with her, told me to go back out and move the brat. Also worth noting, is this kid had no physical disability, unless she had one that kicked in after treating the store like a jungle gym, she was crawling over things under things, running dancing, skipping, etc.

My reasoning in giving a parent a right to say something first, is because I did not have the energy for a confrontation, and similar incidents have caused confrontations that nearly came to blows.

What truly amazes me with parents is that they don't care about their kids safety at all. When I worked at taco bell I was cleaning down the glass lobby doors with Windex. I am on the outside of the door facing customers in the lobby, one little monster was creating a huge mess at the table, but because mom isn't paying attention he gets up and decides to bug me. When creepy staring and putting his greasy paws all over my no longer clean door doesn't work. Little boy wonder licks the door. Let me repeat for those who's brains just shut off. This boy licked the door. From the bottom of it to as far up as he could go. I cannot express the moment of , then I look over and see the mom watching her son lick the door. The part of me that empathizes with humanity died a lot on that day.

The most upsetting part about this was that the mom didn't care. Not even about the fact that I had just used dangerous, child harming chemicals on the door within minutes of her son licking it. What could a stranger, momentarily confronting her possibly say to make her give a shit? They don't care who gets hurt. Well not unless it means they can profit from suing the store their child got hurt in.

Now if they have absolutely no remorse over their children taking seats from the elderly and disabled, give no care to what their child does to someone else's property, and don't even bat an eyelash when their child does something that could possibly end with harm to the child they probably don't spend much time thinking about the ethics of whether their kids should be in a movie theatre. Hell, I don't think they differentiate between "child" and "cell phone" or "purse" when going to movies. It's a sometimes convent fashion accessory, that requires some maintenance like food, water, and the occasional pat on the head. but thats it right? The only solution that might make some of them pay attention is if theatre's start charging them a disturbance fine on the third complaint. That or charging parents going to movies they're kids aren't old enough for, a fee for childcare services.

Good gods even CHURCHES have kid specific play area's and daycare, and churches are a hell of a lot more "child friendly" than the types of movies people have brought up and/or bars. It's not just bars either, but going out to restraints after 9 pm, you should be relatively safe from feeling like you are eating at a bad day care.

*The epidural is basically one end of a tube is in the epidural cavity of my spine, allowing a pump I carry around connected to it to pump in medicine directly to my nerve clusters in order to make me able to walk better. In addition to that I was using a cane. Grandma is quite visibly an old bat, and uses a walker to boot.