Bringing your baby to the movies is a GREAT idea!

I am SOOO kidding. I just need to rant a moment.

I thought one of my friends had more common sense than this, but I guess not.

When I go to a movie I want the best experience possible, this means no bringing my baby to the movies. As someone who has been an active moviegoer for years it is pretty well known that many people absolutely can't stand it when people bring their baby in to a movie. I've experienced too many times what happens during parts that get loud or pretty much any time. When that baby starts crying, people start staring and it can get ugly fast.

I vowed my whole life that, should I ever have children, that I would NEVER bring my child in until he/she was old enough to understand behaving properly in that venue. The other pre-requisites would be the ability to walk and talk with an inside voice, heh.

So I learn one of my friends went with a couple other friends of mine with their 3-year olds (fine), plus their new 2-month old baby to see The Lion King 3D. I know that's a G-rated kids movie and all, but there is NO WAY IN HELL I would even bring my 6-month old son right now to see that movie in theaters, as good as he is outside the home. Absolutely no freaking way. If you can't get a babysitter then you shouldn't be going to the movies period. Besides, a baby's ear drums are very sensitive at a early young age as well as are very prone to sickness if there's a lot of people in the theater with so many potential airborne illnesses floating around.

I just don't think it's right to do that to other people paying a lot of money coming out to enjoy a movie. It's really not fair to them.

Am I overreacting for thinking my friend was being a bit inconsiderate of others (and the baby's needs) by doing this? I'm so gad I wasn't invited out for that.

:behave :confused
i agree with you when i go to the theater i pay to experience a movie not a daycare
 
I guess i've been pretty lucky with kids so far. Only one time has the theater had a baby in it. It cried for maybe 5 seconds, the mom packed up shop and left. I don't think she even came back.

I've been to several CGI kids movies and all the kids were quiet, only once did a kid actually pipe up and say something (during Kung Fu Panda 2) and truth be told, it was cute and innocent and the entire theater laughed.

As for teenagers, well when you're 6'3, 250 pounds and covered in tattoos, they tend to listen when you tell them to shut up/get off phone/stop kicking your seat.

I think my most shock moment at a theater with a kid though was when a mom brough her 3 kids ranging from 5-10 to Hangover 2. I was shocked and you can't play ignorant about the content of the film, it's a sequel after all.
 
Or how about talky toddlers? I understand Junior is still learning what are appropriate talking times, but it really irks me when the parent doesn't use the opportunity to TEACH THEM. The ones that answer his questions rather than telling him to be quiet only encourage him. ARRRGH
 
My theater here, Mon-Thursday is only $4.50 for a ticket, so I do that, during the day time, a few weeks after the movie is released. I sit in the dead center, in an almost completely empty theater, and it rocks. You weren't over reacting at all, I hate parents who are inconsiderate for those around them.
 
That is why I love midnight releases. Most parents are not going to pay full price, or have a kid out that late. Most people there are big movie fans. It's usually a great environment. Even more so if it's in 3D and even more expensive. Trying to find cheaper tickets and less crowds is are just taking you to the same places and times the people who don't care as much are going.
 
I've got a true story for you, which is probably even worse than what your friend did.

Back in 2001, my family and I went to see Hannibal. Now, this was an R-Rated movie. And since it was a followup to Silence of the Lambs, I would think common sense would dictate that if you're watching a film that takes place after Silence of the Lambs, where you know Hannibal Lector is a serial killer who is also a cannibal, you wouldn't bring a child to the movie. Hell, I knew about the whole brain eating scene long before I went into the movie. But, while I was waiting to see the movie along with my parents, my sister and her first husband (all of us being adults), I heard the sound of a baby crying. I turn around and discovered a woman who had not one, not two, but THREE children with her. One of them was a toddler, another was at least a couple of years older and the third was probably around 10 years old. I was thinking, Really? You're seriously going to give your kids nightmares by bringing them along to watch this movie?

Whenever I see parents protesting a movie because of sex and violence, saying that they don't want their children to see it, then they should actually try PARENTING and not allow their kids to watch it (and explain to their children why they shouldn't watch it at their age). It's that simple.

WOW... I have a very similar experiance with this same move. Went to see it with some buddies and there was a family there with a 4-5 year old girl. During the brain scene she was crying... daddy I don't like that... daddy I'm scared... what the hell people!!! No wonder our country is going down the tubes. Kids need to be kids, not little friends we take places and dress them up to look like adults.
 
depends on the baby. I took a 5 month baby to see attack of the clones. she heard so much star wars in the womb that it didn't phase her at all. she stared in wide eyed wonder, until she fell asleep and dreamed of galaxies far away. she slept through most of the film. didnt make a fuss, not even a single peep. which was totally expected, tbh, because this kid never cried. evar.
(like I said, it depends on the baby - we knew our baby, so we knew it wouldn't be a problem - if you've got a fussy kid then I wouldn't recommend it).
 
My EX-Wife and I were lucky when my daughter was born in the early 90's we lived very close to a Drive-Inn theater. It was the only way to see movies with out bothering anyone around you.
 
There's three things I hate more than anything when I'm watching a movie at the theather. Screaming babies, cell phones, and people talking during the movie. The last time I went to see a movie, I first told the manager about it, the person got a talking to from the manager, then they came back in to watch and not more than 5 minutes later they were at it again these were high school kids chatting with each other and I could hear thier ringtone everytime they got a message. I finally got tired of it walked up to them 6 rows behind me and told them, "If you don't shut off that damn cellphone and shut up that mouth I'll cram that thing down your ******* throat" in a theather where it's just about pitch black I could swear the one I yelled at turned white as a ghost. I did'nt hear them or thier cell phone for the rest of the movie. They did'nt leave the theather after being yelled at, they just shut up for the rest of it.
 
How about parents who read the subtitles to their kids? I hate that. I remember in '83 seeing Jedi some Mom reading the subtitles off.

What do you think about that. Something like Jedi IS for kids but younger ones can't read--what do you do?
 
I bet parents are mad about that. There is a place in pittsburgh where kids under 6 aren't allowed in to eat and all the parents are up in arms about it. I went past the discount theater today where all the teens hang out and it looks like a dump yet the one where they're discouraged from being is beautiful. The families go there and cops are always in the parking lot. I don't care if a movie is 3.00 i'm not dealing with ill mannered savages even if it was free. Personally anyone under 18 should have a parental escort no matter the rating and armed security should be on hand to deal with trouble makers.
 
Went to see the Exorcist a few years back when it was re-released in the theaters. And, yeah, there was a couple there with a toddler. A four year old I think.

That was a head scratcher.
 
Whenever we go to see a film we go to the latest possible showing at the out of town cinema. Parents don't take kids to late showings and teenagers can't get out to it as the buses don't run that late.
 
Here's a great one for today I had to share. More feel sorry for the poor 3 month old, but anyway....

Same friend as I was mentioning in the original post, at it again, only taking it another level up in "REALLY???"

Facebook status (edited names out):
"Today I was grateful for _____ not making a peep being a perfect angel while _____ and I enjoyed a train IMAX movie at the science center."

Okay so now we're bringing 3-month old babies to IMAX films. This theater mentioned is actually a TRUE IMAX and not one of those at AMC theaters where most of them aren't the true form size. My god the poor baby is gonna go deaf by her first birthday!

My son is 7 months old, love going to movies, but he is not setting foot in a movie theater until he can walk, talk, and behave in an auditorium with others.
 
My experience with The Amazing Spider-man was this way also. Some mom had to bring her two toddlers and just HAD to sit right behind me. "what's this, who is that, why is this, why is that, wah wah wah, I gotta potty, why did he fall, wah wah wah, who is that?"...God it was so annoying!!!....And the worst part was that I--me--myself was the one that had to keep shushing the stinking brats!!! The mom just ignored these prattling rugrats. Finally I had to turn around and say "PLEASE!! Maam, can you please quiet your children?"..Her jaw dropped that I had the audacity to do that, and she got up and left with them. GOOD RIDDENCE!!!!
 
While I agree that parents shouldn't be taking babies to movies I think that if they insist on doing so they should at least have the courtesy of sitting in an aisle seat near the exit so that if/when their baby cries they can walk out immediately and not bother anybody. I can't remember what movie it was but one time I had some family with a baby behind me that would cry and instead of walking out of the auditorium right away they just sat there trying to calm the baby instead. This would work only for a short while before the baby would cry again and I think that it wasn't until the 3rd or 4th time that the idiot parent decided to finally take their baby outside.
 
The only time that I ever had to endure kids and toddlers running around in a theater was in 1999 after I traveled more than 6000 km´s to see Episode 1 in a small theater. Very disappointing experience ...

The socialising happens over here in Germany, too, and one time I noticed a dad bringing his maybe 7 year old to see 13th Warrior, which is not an age appropriate movie, but that´s about it.

As a father of a three month old baby I can´t imagine taking the baby with me to the Cinema, more than stupid. Moving, blurred images, loud noises that the baby probably never heard before, I hope that baby keeps its parents up all week at night after such an experience!
 
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