Newborns at the movies?!?! F*%#ing hell!

[CRISPY]

Not toddlers or school-age tikes, but fucking bottle-fed babies at the movies. God-fuckingshitasslickin-damn, your life is so pathetic that you have to bring your squalling newborn to a 7:25PM showing of Monster House?

"Gee, I wonder why my baby is upset. She's not usually this cranky." Um, maybe because it's fucking 7:30 at night and your baby is in a crowded theater that's showing a film called MONSTER HOUSE! I know this kinda film appeals to a younger crowd, but newborns? Come on. And it wasn't just one or two or even six newborns at this showing, but TWELVE. As in the song from Seasame Street: onetwo three four five sixseven eight nine ten eleven tweeeeelve--twelve! I know because before we stopped watching the movie and left the theater we counted. WTF is wrong w/ people? Hello, it's called a matinee? :s
[pan]

[Boomer #8]

Bring your baby to Monster House. Oh, that's just bloody twisted. Get a fucking baby sitter, or don't come at all. It reminds me of a Mad tv sketch.

[jeth]

I've seen couples bring their newborns (maybe three weeks old, tops) to loud concerts and then have to alternate spending time in the lobby rocking the squalling thing because it's ears can't handle sitting in the third row on the left by the speakers. And they wonder why the baby fusses.

Until kids reach a certain age you should not take them to the movie theater, concerts, or plays. You should hire a babysitter. And if you want to say "Oh, but I can't afford a babysitter!" then too bad. Stay home and watch the movie when it comes out on DVD.

[iciclespark]

I absolutely hate that, not just because of the disruption to me, but because I feel bad for the kid (yes, I have a heart sometimes). Tiny senstive ears surrounded by people and noise and a LOUD film? Great fucking parenting, ya twat. Poor kid.

In my city, once a month they have baby days where they have movie showing devoted to moms of babies and toddlers, where they turn the film volume down and everyone knows that at least one infant will cry. It's billed as a way for moms to take kids to see films in a more welcoming environment better suited to infants and little ones. I think it's a fantastic idea.

[Master Shaman]

What the fuck? Here, kids younger than 5 are banned from movie theaters.

[Amy!]

They do "stars and strollers" here too, and it's a good service, the ads remind me to stay the fuck away from the theater that day.

We went to the drive-in last night and what used to be a haven from kids kicking your seat and freaking out in the theater has turned into hell. We had white trash morons on one side of us, 2 kids and a pregnant woman and her mulleted husband in an ugly primer covered mustang. She had to pee 8,000 times and kept getting in and out and the kids were terrified of pirates. Not good.
Then there were teenagers next to us, they were fine for the first movie but got cold during the second and piled back in the car where they proceeded to get out and change configurations 400 times and kept having to turn on the interior light to find the drink they were all sharing. This all might have been fine if they hadn't parked 7 inches away on both sides.

Then there were teenagers playing football in the aisles between movies and I had to stop my husband from killing them when one rolled off our hood making a catch. We had to wait an extra 15 minutes for the 10 drunk kids to move their giant truck parked sideways in the very front row, with the lights on and a couch in the back to move to the back before the owner would start the movie.

Plus the general fourteen women in line with their 18 children apiece for the three bathroom stalls. Many of which can't seem to hit the toilet, make a huge mess, talk really loudly and try to look under the other stalls.

Then the idiotic soccer dad with four kids shoving each other behind us and the toddler kicking me in the shins while we're in line for popcorn yelling "Now who wants a slushie? Who wants a green slushie? A blue slushie? Doesn't anyone want a soda like me and Connor? Oh you do Madison? What about you Ginny-ginny-ginny? Do you guys want popcorn? With butter? Without butter? What about candy?..." and on and on for the entire 15 minutes we were in the giant line.


I hate people.

[Steve SFM]

What the fuck? Here, kids younger than 5 are banned from movie theaters.

Goddamn, you live in a civilized country. :D

My most annoying baby-in-the-crowd experience recently (well, actually about a year and a half ago, but it came to mind) was a couple bringing a wee newborn to a packed Joanna Newsom show. Now, yeah, OK, not as harmful to the ears as some shows, but still, the baby was NOT enjoying him/herself. And what annoyed me the most is that Joanna - who I otherwise adored (not only a great musician, but smokin' hot) - squeed over the baby. She should have told them to take the little one HOME!

And yeah, newborns in movie theaters = not OK, for the baby or the audience. I'm old enough to remember when movie theaters had "cry rooms", which were glass-encased rooms in the back where newborns could wail to their hearts' content. THAT was civilized. As a modern-day alternative, what ispark was talking about sounds cool.

Steve the Sweet Fat Man

[Rinky vs.4.0]

I just don't get why parents of new babies think they NEED to be at a movie. I mean, if you're one of those people who can't bear to leave your baby with a trusted person for two or three hours max, is staying home and renting a DVD such a hardship? I think people who drag tiny kids to movies or gigs or other similiar places or occasions are thinking of ONE person only - themselves. They want to see the movie, so fuck the kid and fuck the rest of the audience who didn't pay to hear baby screeches and smell noxious baby smells when they stumped up the money for an evening out at the cinemas.

It's just cruel to the kid, whose ears are not made to cope with Dolby wrap-around sound systems blaring and who is incapable of getting a dman thing out any movie anyway.

I've never actually seen someone here take a baby into a movie - thank god - but I have seen plenty of kids too mentally young for the movie they've been taken to or simply too young to behave at or enjoy the cinema experience. If the kid is incapable of sitting still for more than a few minutes at a crack, or of understanding that cinema is not like watching TV at home where you can blather away and ask questions to your heart's content, keep 'em at home until they can. Ditto on those who apparently need to go to the toilet every fifteen minutes and flat-footedly thunder up and down the aisles disturbing everyone on the way.

I don't think my own parents took me to the cinema until I was five, at which point I was capable of sitting in silence for two hours or so, not needing to use the bathroom during the show, and not frightened of loud noises. My parents are big movie lovers and I once asked them what they did when me and my sister were babies and they wanted to see a film. My mother looked at me like I was insane and siad, "We got your gran or your aunty to babysit, or we just didn't go." If only such common sense reigned today. I'd like to see a cinema etiquette test adminstered at the door of every theatre to adults and kids alike, actually. Too many people think it's their right to behave as they want in there and ruin everyone else's viewing pleasure in the meantime.

[Dillinger]

They do "stars and strollers" here too, and it's a good service, the ads remind me to stay the fuck away from the theater that day.



We have those where I live too. I actually took one of my nephews to one when he was really young. I think I was the only guy in a theatre full of women and children and I had a good time. He used to ask me if we could go see the "big tv" after that. I'm sure I'd be ticked hearing screaming toddlers at a regular showing though.

[Amy!]

I'm pretty sure that we live in the same city :e

[Dillinger]

I'm pretty sure that we live in the same city :e

After reading a few of your posts, you can now be certain of that.

[Rizzabella]

Newborns/smaller children at movies bothers me and I'm also really annoyed by parents who will bring children to inappropriate movies. I wasn't really a sheltered kid and could see about any movie, rated R or otherwise, with my parents- but when we went to the theater, I behaved. I didn't squirm and get up every 2 seconds and I didn't start whining about the movie loudly halfway through because it wasn't something I was interested in. Oh, it bugs me.

For a while years ago I was a manager at a movie theater and I absolutely dreaded having to go into theaters to tell mothers with crying babies that they needed to either go home entirely or leave the theater until their child stopped crying. Oh, they unleash holy HELL on you for somehow implying that they're doing something they shouldn't be doing. I'd have mothers screaming about me about their right to do whatever they choose in a theater since they paid money for the ticket. :) I just can't imagine why someone would WANT to take a small child to a movie; they're so loud and frankly if I wanted to see a movie peacefully I would get a babysitter or wait until it was on video at a time when my kid was a little older.

[Rinky vs.4.0]

I'd have mothers screaming about me about their right to do whatever they choose in a theater since they paid money for the ticket.

That's the entitlement complex for you. By that logic of course, other patrons would be within their 'rights' to hurl cokes and popcorn all over annoying children, have sex in the aisles and shoot up in the toilets because hell, they paid for their tickets too.

I hate the misuse of the work 'rights'. It really fucking annoys me that it has become the first defence of the irresponsible and those who can't behave appropriately in a given situation.

[madworld]

Why did I read this thead? [blue] We're 'bout to go to a movie now. Ick. I'm gonna be givin' people the evil eye.

[Heart of Moon]

I don't get parents sometimes and the kind of movies they bring their kids to. For example, when I went to see Passion of the Christ (my parents made me see it, but I was 18), there was a girl there who must have been five or six.
I wanted to throw up the whole movie, who could be so heartless as to bring a child?

[Rizzabella]

I hate the misuse of the work 'rights'. It really fucking annoys me that it has become the first defence of the irresponsible and those who can't behave appropriately in a given situation.
100% agreed. It's frustrating because people don't understand what they're talking about. I'd get that same situation at the movie theater when I'd kick out groups of rowdy teenagers after plenty of warnings. There were a couple of evenings where I'd end up having to stay hours after closing to argue with parents who were threatening to call lawyers (seriously- they called a lawyer the next day and tried to get me fired) because I had no right to kick their kids out since there's no sign that explicitly says "If you disrupt patrons, you may be removed from the theater."

Somehow we've become a society that uses the idea of our "rights" (often a misinformed one) as a shield against allegations of improper behavior. Again, my upbringing was totally different. If I came home and told my parents I'd been kicked out of a movie theater because I was behaving horribly I shudder to think of what might have happened. Probably no movie outings for a very, very long time. ;)

[Bernkastel]

When my best friend had her baby she was adamant about never taking her to a movie theater until she got older because she thought it was the rudest thing ever. I was awed! :p

[Steve SFM]

I don't get parents sometimes and the kind of movies they bring their kids to. For example, when I went to see Passion of the Christ (my parents made me see it, but I was 18), there was a girl there who must have been five or six.
I wanted to throw up the whole movie, who could be so heartless as to bring a child?

Someone who wanted to indocrinate their child into a rather vile and negative form of Christianity, it would seem.

*headdesk*

Steve the Sweet Fat Man

[Boomer #8]

The cinema in my town has 'Baby Kino' (Baby Cinema) one or twice a week in the early afternoon, so mothers can bring their toddlers and socialize. I think that's great thing, because not everybody has the luxury of being able to get a babysitter.

I find it odd that people are allowed to bring, not babies, but small children to the cinema on adult films. Even if you 'presumably' know what your child can or can't take, there is still an age rating system of who can and can't watch it. I don't know how it works in the US, but I've never seen a baby nor a young child in a 'adult film' here in Norway (knocks on wood), but that's because films have an age rating, i.e. if it's set to 15years, then you have to be 15 or older (with an exception that if you are accompanied by someone who's 18 or older, and you are not younger than 11. ).

One would think that parents would know better, but I've read several cases (here too) where parents use cinema theatres as 'babysitter'. Now that's sick, and unresponsible.

[iciclespark]

I've never actually seen someone here take a baby into a movie - thank god - but I have seen plenty of kids too mentally young for the movie they've been taken to or simply too young to behave at or enjoy the cinema experience. If the kid is incapable of sitting still for more than a few minutes at a crack, or of understanding that cinema is not like watching TV at home where you can blather away and ask questions to your heart's content, keep 'em at home until they can. Ditto on those who apparently need to go to the toilet every fifteen minutes and flat-footedly thunder up and down the aisles disturbing everyone on the way.

Like the parents I saw who brought their four and eight-year-olds into a showing of The Bone Collector? That movie was 18+ here. I got so pissed, especially once the one started crying in terror, that I stormed out and told an usher. They were promptly ejected.

My brother is a strange fellow. At 9 he was able to sit LOTR movies in the theatre, with maybe one pee break, and quietly. God forbid I make any noise digging for candy! That's why I have no qualms taking him to films - he's so mature and calm.


Needless to say, I make it a point to see late late shows whenever possible, especially if seeing a PG film/family flick like say Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I certainly agree I can't tell children not to be at the theatre for a film aimed at them, but I can choose to go at 10:30pm and minimize them. ;)

[Rinky vs.4.0]

Like the parents I saw who brought their four and eight-year-olds into a showing of The Bone Collector? That movie was 18+ here.

We're lucky here in that there are age restrictions on movies. No-one under 15 can get into a 15 certificate, no one under 18 into an 18. Even if halfwits want to drag their toddler to a horror film, they can't. I'm sure half of them expose the kids to similiar inappropriate material at home though.

[Boomer #8]

My brother is a strange fellow. At 9 he was able to sit LOTR movies in the theatre, with maybe one pee break, and quietly. God forbid I make any noise digging for candy! That's why I have no qualms taking him to films - he's so mature and calm.



My brother ust turne 20, and he couldn't keep quiet throughout Pirates of the Caribbean 2. He was bored, so he kept bothering me, and telling how lame the film was. I told him to go, but we got into a nasty arguement afterwards because he was offended by that. Ugh! And people wonder why i want to buy his future kids drumsets. [pan]

[Rinky vs.4.0]

100% agreed. It's frustrating because people don't understand what they're talking about. I'd get that same situation at the movie theater when I'd kick out groups of rowdy teenagers after plenty of warnings. There were a couple of evenings where I'd end up having to stay hours after closing to argue with parents who were threatening to call lawyers (seriously- they called a lawyer the next day and tried to get me fired) because I had no right to kick their kids out since there's no sign that explicitly says "If you disrupt patrons, you may be removed from the theater."

When you meet the parents, you see why those kids are as they are, don't you? The parents have no care for anything but their own desires and pleasure, and no notion of responsibility toward others.

I noticed when I went to see POTC2 the other week here that a similiar notice has gone up on the doors of the theatres. They've probably been experiencing the same problems you described, either at that theatre or others in the nationwide chain.

If I came home and told my parents I'd been kicked out of a movie theater because I was behaving horribly I shudder to think of what might have happened. Probably no movie outings for a very, very long time. ;)

Oh yeah, same here. Generally, I notice most decently-behaved children have parents who feel the same. The really nasty kids' parents usually are the lawsuit-threatening, my-kids-can-do-no-wrong types.

[CRISPY]

One would think that parents would know better, but I've read several cases (here too) where parents use cinema theatres as 'babysitter'. Now that's sick, and unresponsible.
You know, you hit it right on the head there; in my opinion most parents not only don't know how to be proper parents nowadays, but have absolutely no interest in becoming or learning how to become proper parents.

We've a generation of peple who were raised by TV now having their own brood and they can't actually "raise" a child. They tolerate their kid(s) for as long as they must then they pawn of their responsabilities as parents on to any number of other sources such as relatives, schools, the government (My boy saw that black woman's titty on TV! It's the FCC's job to shelter our chidren from sexuality!) or movies & TV (I'm too tired to try and communicate with my child in any meaningful way today, I'll just let 'em watch TV so they'll shut-up and stay outta my way.) /rant

[FaerieDreamer]

I'm a parent (yeah I know, wrong forum) but I have to say I absolutely agree with everything you all have said on this issue. I hate seeing little kids in movies not specifically geared towards them.

I remember when Spiderman 2 came out, we went on opening night and ended up having to wait until the last showing to get in. The movie started at 10:45pm. There were still kids under the age of 8 in there with their parents, totally grumpy and fussy because they were just exhausted, and we even saw one child still in a baby carrier in the theater. That's just not acceptable at all.

We recently took our son to his first movie, Cars. He was 3 weeks away from his 3rd birthday, and we made a point to go to the first showing of the morning. That way we knew he'd be on his best behavior since he wouldn't be hungry or tired or whatever, AND we knew that the likelihood of anyone w/o kids being at an early morning showing would be slim. It's not that difficult a concept to grasp.

[CRISPY]

^^^
Amen! Kudos for your intelligence and consideration on this issue. OT: Who was your son's favorite car?

[Calli]

This is such a pet peeve of mine.

One of our local theaters has a pretty strict rule, that after 6pm no children under the age of 10 are allowed to see R-rated movies , regardless if they are accompied by their parent.

[bellegurl]

What the fuck? Here, kids younger than 5 are banned from movie theaters.

This should be done all over the world. I think taking newborns and very small kids to a night-time movie is not only disruptive and inconsiderate for the paying audience, it is yet another form of child abuse. [pan] to any ass-hole parents who haven't figured that out yet.

[Framedanddry]

The cinema managers would have something to say when peole merely wait for films to come out on dvd rather than pay to go into a glorified creche.

[mydaddyspodcast]

I brought my newborn to the movies at 2:00 in the afternoon a few years ago and she was fine. I guess every baby is different.

[hollerskates]

^^it's fucking rude to even chance it. sorry.

[Rinky vs.4.0]

I brought my newborn to the movies at 2:00 in the afternoon a few years ago and she was fine.

Whatever. We still hate you!

[HideAndSeek]

I brought my newborn to the movies at 2:00 in the afternoon a few years ago and she was fine. I guess every baby is different.

Even if she was fine, which you couldn't possibly have known until it happened, weren't you at all concerned about the volume inside a movie theatre and it's possible impact on, or discomfort for, your child?

I'd also be interested to know if you would have left the movie theatre if she had started crying or making some other kind of noise, or if she had needed a nappy change?