Loud kid at Wall-E matinee

[mjkacmom]

I do not think you are in a huge minority -- especially since I think you should not have left!!

Let me clarify, at a children's movie in the middle of the day I expect to hear some children talking. At an R rated movie on a Friday/Saturday night I do not expect to hear children talking - nor do I want to hear the crying of an infant.

Yes, children need to be taught to be quiet at the movies. This is something that they need to learn --- eventually. If your daughter had been 7 like mine, she would have been rude but she is 2.5!!

Common people the kid is 2.5! Yes, she has every right to go to the movies. Yes she needs to learn to be quiet but so do a lot of the adults I have been in the movies with recently.

If she can't behave at the movies, she doesn't have every right to disburb the other patrons. Most 2 year olds aren't capable of sitting through a movie quietly. If a child isn't acting appropriately in a situation, he or she should be removed from the situation. As parents, sometimes we make poor judgement calls on what our kids can handle - heck, I've had to change our dinner order to takeout on more than one occassion!

 

[SharpMomOfTwo]

Personally, maybe I'm to easy going with stuff like that, but to me, its a kids movie, you expect kids to be there! Some are totally quiet the whole time, some are not. As long as they are not screaming and crying, it wouldn't bother me.

Now, if this were an adult movie, better believe I'd be the first one running to get the manager to kick ya out!!!!

 

[ilisao]

I do not think you are in a huge minority -- especially since I think you should not have left!!

Let me clarify, at a children's movie in the middle of the day I expect to hear some children talking. At an R rated movie on a Friday/Saturday night I do not expect to hear children talking - nor do I want to hear the crying of an infant.

Yes, children need to be taught to be quiet at the movies. This is something that they need to learn --- eventually. If your daughter had been 7 like mine, she would have been rude but she is 2.5!!

Common people the kid is 2.5! Yes, she has every right to go to the movies. Yes she needs to learn to be quiet but so do a lot of the adults I have been in the movies with recently.

Uh, no. A 2.5 year old does not have the RIGHT to go to a movie. No one does. Going to a movie is a privilege and for many, a luxury. I realize a lot of people here think others delight in hearing their children's voices, but it's not true. When someone pays to go to a movie, they expect to hear the movie. And they expect parents will be able to control their kids.

And just because there are rude adults at movies does not make it acceptable for a 2.5 to be allowed to talk through one.

 

[rainy~daze]

I had taken my kids to see Shark Tale when it came out. so '04- my kids were 3 and 2.
It was a 12pm matinee, and they were originally behaving. Then they starting being kids, loud, jumpy, 'mommy take me potty'...I told them to sit, watch, be quiet or we leave.
They didn't, we left. And we had driven my friend and her son, he was behaving so they stayed and watched, while my DS cried in the car for an hour--and I prayed for the patience not to smack him. Well, it worked. To this day when we go to a movie I say, remember Shark Tale? They know I will leave the theater, so they are respectful at movies.


Other people paid to be there, too. Just because it is a matinee does not mean anyone who paid to be there knows there will be loud kids.
Keep your kids quiet or keep them home---unless it is the summer movie program on Wednesday mornings meant for children only, and advertised and sold that way.

 

[disneyjunkie]

Common people the kid is 2.5! Yes, she has every right to go to the movies. Yes she needs to learn to be quiet but so do a lot of the adults I have been in the movies with recently.

It's the parent's responsibility to make sure the child doesn't disturb the people around them.

The other families shouldn't have the movie ruined because the little ones (or other adults) can't/won't watches the movie without talking.

 

[sha_lyn]

At a movie aimed primarily at kids, especially a matinee showing, I do expect more noise than an evening movie or a more adult movie. I don't expect people (adults or children) to actually carry on conversations in a normal tone of voice during the movie, though. I'm not at all annoyed if the child forgets to whisper and starts to say something once or twice, but I would expect that the adult with them would remind them to be quiet. If it appears that the adult is making no effort to keep the child quiet then I would be very unhappy and would say something to them and/or go get a manager.

I have heard of some theaters that have showings specifically for crying babies or children who can't/won't be quiet. I would never go to one of those and complain about the noise level. However, if it hasn't been specified that it is one of those showings then I think that it is rude not to be quiet. And again, I don't expect children to be perfect but I do expect the adult to remind them to keep their voices down.

I don't think there's a magic age when a child is old enough for a movie, but I think that if a child can sit quietly for the length of the film then they are ready to be there and if they can't then they aren't ready yet. Personally, I don't think it would have worked for my family to go the the showings where talking is expected, because I think that would have made it much more difficult to teach "proper" theater behavior later - "What do you mean I can't talk loudly now? I always have before when we came to movies. Why is it different now?" With our son we stressed the importance of "Quiet" at the theater, and he knew before his first movie that if he wasn't quiet then we would leave.

ITA....IMHO the fact that 2 dads with kids there of their own said something to the OP shows that the noise was beyond reasonable.

 

[daisax]

I actually go to matinees just because there are so few people there I feel like I can hear the movie better! I like lots of empty seats around me.

However, I agree with those who say that while there may be a bit more leeway for the occasional enthusiastic outburst (quickly shushed by the parent), especially at movies aimed to children, kids do need to be quiet at movies.

I do have a fond memory of going to see Fantasia when I was in college. It was a weekday matinee and a good sized crowd. The kids were well behaved, and at the point where the Sorcerer appears in time to save Mickey (he bursts through the door with a loud crash of music, if I recall correctly) a little voice piped up with such awe "it's GOD!"

I still laugh at that memory.

 

[I_Know_You2!]

The idea that we should just assume rude behavior is screwed up. If a person is not capable of being considerate for others, they are in the wrong place. Whether 2 or 20.

 

[Tinkerbelle's Mom]

I would not have thought the child was rude, just not ready to go to a movie theater. And as much as she has a right to go to the movies, the other patrons have the right to watch the movie without unreasonable disruption. It sounds like the disruption caused by the OP's daughter was unreasonable enough that two other movie-goers felt the need to say something.

Denae

Yes they do, but I still feel that a miday showing of showing of a childrens movie should allow children. And with children being allowed there will be times when talking will happen.

The op was not the only one in the theater with a talking child.

If she can't behave at the movies, she doesn't have every right to disburb the other patrons. Most 2 year olds aren't capable of sitting through a movie quietly. If a child isn't acting appropriately in a situation, he or she should be removed from the situation. As parents, sometimes we make poor judgement calls on what our kids can handle - heck, I've had to change our dinner order to takeout on more than one occassion!

Yes, parents do make poor judgements. I have done so but I do not think taking a child to a childs movie in the middle of the day is a poor judgement call. At almost every midday childrens movie I have been too there have been kids whol talked. This is why there are a variety of movie times offered.

Uh, no. A 2.5 year old does not have the RIGHT to go to a movie. No one does. Going to a movie is a privilege and for many, a luxury. I realize a lot of people here think others delight in hearing their children's voices, but it's not true. When someone pays to go to a movie, they expect to hear the movie. And they expect parents will be able to control their kids.

And just because there are rude adults at movies does not make it acceptable for a 2.5 to be allowed to talk through one.

Okay so the child has the luxury and privilege of going to the movie with her parent.

Do you truly expect to go to a childrens movie in the middle of the day and not hear childrens voices? I think that is unreasonable.

I never said it was acceptable for the child to talk just because there are rude adults ... I was pointing out that there are just as many poorly behaved adults at the movies and they would never consider leaving.

It is my opinion that the op should have stayed and enjoyed the movie. I am not saying that the child should have been let free to what ever she wanted but she had the same luxury/privilege of being there as every one else.

 

[bananiem]

OP, look at it this way... If every kid in the theater was allowed to talk in their regular voice, who would be able to hear the movie?
Sorry, but you were in the wrong.

 

[DisneyMommyMichelle]

I think it would have been time for you to leave. I have a 2 and 3 year old and a 10 month old. When we went to see Wall E we explained all the rules ahead of time and also said that we would have to leave if anyone spoke at the movies to say anything but that they had to go potty.

We've only had to remove the baby once to change a diaper and then he fell asleep after I fed him and the 2 year old was removed once last year dor about 20 minutes when he kept asking questions.

Everyone pays to go to the movie, no matter what time it is.

 

[rparmfamily]

If a parent, and especially more than 1, made a comment to me about my children's behavior, I would take it to mean that perhaps my perception wasn't correct. Sometimes we have on "parent blinders" KWIM?

I think you were right to remove her if she couldn't be quiet.

At a matinee for a children's movie I do EXPECT a little more noise but like I said, if a few parents actually commented to me about my child's noise then clearly they were too loud.

 

[mamacatnv]

I think 2 1/2 is a little young for a full length feature film.

I believe it's OK for a child to ask questions during a movie, but it should be done quietly, in a whisper, in a parents ear. If the child is too young to understand that concept then they are too young for the movie. Heck - I've even asked questions in movies!!! (but it was whispered to someone!)

I agree, the whisper in the ear is fully acceptable. From what the OP said, she was unable to get the "whisper" idea across which at 2.5 is not unexpected. In my experience it takes a lot for someone to actually "chastise" another parent in public, it would be my assumption by the fact that 2 dads approached her that her child was far louder and disruptive than she realized.

OP - I go to matinee's all the time because I am way to cheap to pay evening rates. I expect the same courtesy out of the movie goers that I would for an evening show. I do not think that matinee = toddler/small child conduct training exercise.

 

[BostonRob]

In my experience it takes a lot for someone to actually "chastise" another parent in public, it would be my assumption by the fact that 2 dads approached her that her child was far louder and disruptive than she realized.

Just to clear things up a bit (and by the way, I'm the OP and I'm not a "her") the second father to speak with me was probably with the first father. Their kids were sitting right next to each other and in sparse matinee crowd, that tells me they were together. So one guy said something to me, then a little while later, his friend said something to me. So if I initially thought one guy was being unreasonable it wouldn't be surprising that his friend would be unreasonable too.
But, as I've said, after thinking about it, I decided leaving was the best thing to do, regardless of whether they were being unreasonable or I was. And as I walked out, I wondered if the woman behind me would be asked to leave next. Maybe she was able to use us as an example to her kids.
And one more thing thats bothering me is multiple people have said that a movie theater is the wrong place to teach your kids self control. I didn't take my daughter to the movie theater to try to teach my daughter to behave, at the expense of everybody else. I took my daughter to the G-rated matinee because I incorrectly thought it was a perfectly appropriate place for a talkative 2.5 year old.

 

[ICF]

IMO, matinee or not if you child can't be quiet and not disturb others then they shouldn't be taken ath the show.

Just wait a few months and you can rent it on DVD.

 

[daisax]

Do you truly expect to go to a childrens movie in the middle of the day and not hear childrens voices? I think that is unreasonable.

There are "children's voices" making occasional comments, laughing at parts that aren't funny or laughing with glee a full moment after everybody else has laughed, or asking Mom a question in an "outdoor voice" quickly followed by a "shhh" from Mom. All to be expected at a children's movie (at any time).

And then there's what I would call "carrying on." Even without speaking, small kids can be a huge distraction -- turning around on the seat, getting up and down and making the seat thwack each time, kicking the seat in front of them (for fun), crinkling candy bars, etc. (plus all the talking and screeching). There are parents who address the behavior, and those who don't, same as in any other public place.

There's a big difference between individual children occasionally blurting something out unexpectedly and one child drawing the attention of the entire theatre. Not the kid's fault... try again later.

Adults are getting worse, by the way, and I've shushed plenty of grownups for behaving as if they're watching at home and discussing the movie as it unfolds.

If we really want this thread to get controversial... I've been to evening movies disrupted by special needs adults. Now THAT's uncomfortable. On one particular night it lasted the entire film. Certainly this group of people could use a night out, and it would have been a shame for the rest of his group to suffer for the one person who kept making a loud whooping sound every few minutes (always startling -- it was a slow paced, sad film, so I'd jump out of my chair every time it happened). And yet... everybody else in the theatre got a greatly diminished experience. I have no idea how that should have been resolved (except by the organization in question having enough chaperones to remove individuals if needed)

 

[Camicar]

Matinees are not just for parents with kids who don't know how to behave. They are for everyone who wants to go and watch a movie. Personally, I go to matinees bec I refuse to pay $10 just because it's after 4pm for what might not be worth the money these days. Watching a movie in a theater comes with certain distractions built in, but constantly hearing a normal-toned kid's voice talking is not one of them.

But THANK YOU for taking your child out and being considerate enough to do so rather than encouraging the child to get even worse as I have seen happen.

 

[TheZue]

There are "children's voices" making occasional comments, laughing at parts that aren't funny or laughing with glee a full moment after everybody else has laughed, or asking Mom a question in an "outdoor voice" quickly followed by a "shhh" from Mom. All to be expected at a children's movie (at any time).

And then there's what I would call "carrying on." Even without speaking, small kids can be a huge distraction -- turning around on the seat, getting up and down and making the seat thwack each time, kicking the seat in front of them (for fun), crinkling candy bars, etc. (plus all the talking and screeching). There are parents who address the behavior, and those who don't, same as in any other public place.

There's a big difference between individual children occasionally blurting something out unexpectedly and one child drawing the attention of the entire theatre. Not the kid's fault... try again later.

I agree with this 100%. Your first paragraph is exactly what I expect at any kid's film...especially a Disney that's often aimed at the younger child. Anyone who doesn't expect this at a kid's movie needs to go see something else. Anything beyond that I leave with my kids, that is what I mean by teaching them. Honestly there would be no way to know with my son that could sit through a movie on his own based on his behavior at home, it's such an entirely different environment...I don't even sit through a movie at home lol.

On the flip side I am really against bringing children who might act in this manner to anything that is remotely adult oriented; and I would even put Star Wars Clone Wars in that list. But when I go to a Disney/generic computer generated movie I can handle the occasional observation from the under five set.

Sort of off topic: My favorite things ever were the people who brought their maybe five year old to Freddy Got Fingered and had to cover their kids ears every couple minutes, or the family with a bunch of little kids that left Tim Burtons Sleepy Hollow fairly quickly

 

[mamacatnv]

Just to clear things up a bit (and by the way, I'm the OP and I'm not a "her") the second father to speak with me was probably with the first father. Their kids were sitting right next to each other and in sparse matinee crowd, that tells me they were together. So one guy said something to me, then a little while later, his friend said something to me. So if I initially thought one guy was being unreasonable it wouldn't be surprising that his friend would be unreasonable too.
But, as I've said, after thinking about it, I decided leaving was the best thing to do, regardless of whether they were being unreasonable or I was. And as I walked out, I wondered if the woman behind me would be asked to leave next. Maybe she was able to use us as an example to her kids.
And one more thing thats bothering me is multiple people have said that a movie theater is the wrong place to teach your kids self control. I didn't take my daughter to the movie theater to try to teach my daughter to behave, at the expense of everybody else. I took my daughter to the G-rated matinee because I incorrectly thought it was a perfectly appropriate place for a talkative 2.5 year old.

Sorry, did not mean to offend, I wasn't paying attention to your gender.

Okay, so you took your child to a matinee because you assumed that it would be more kid friendly and it turns out your basic assumption was not what the rest of the movie goers had in mind. So you leave, then you ask us Dis'ers for our take on the matter and we generally agree with the Dads who asked you to try and tone it down.

The fact that the 2 dads were together puts a little different spin on the scenario as a whole, but does not IMO change the basic topic. I do however now wonder if they would have approached you if you had been a she. That could start a whole nother thread

I did not mean to offend in any way - I was just replying with my opinions which you asked for.

 

[Scurvy]

Sort of off topic: My favorite things ever were the people who brought their maybe five year old to Freddy Got Fingered and had to cover their kids ears every couple minutes, or the family with a bunch of little kids that left Tim Burtons Sleepy Hollow fairly quickly

I will never forget the families who brought small children to the 9:00 showing of the South Park movie that my husband and I went to. And these weren't babies; they were old enough to understand at least some of the movie. A couple of the families went stomping out, looking horrified, after a few minutes. The others stayed for the whole thing. There were also a couple of children that came in with no adults. They were maybe 3rd or 4th graders. I'm guessing the parents were going to a movie and thought they'd send the kids to the animated one while they went to theirs . . . I'd love to have been in the car with them when they were heading home afterward!