To think children should be made to behave in a theatre?

This is such indulgent parenting. Not as bad but at the cinema last week the mum sat next to me kept up a running commentary of explaining the plot to her small child through the whole film. It was so annoying! Like if your child isn’t old enough to understand the story, why have you brought them?

From your title I was thinking you may be a tad unreasonable, depending on the age of the child(ren) in question and possibly any struggles they may or may not have. Your OP shocked me a bit though! YANBU!

I haven't been to a performance with a large number of kids in years, I find it hard to believe it was that bad. Surely no one would let their kids behave like that??

We have been given free tickets to what should be a relatively professional panto by the local performing arts college. I was looking forward to it, now I might be dreading it!

We went to a performance yesterday and family behind had 3 children, oldest looked about 10. Talking loudly during quiet parts, playing with an empty plastic bottle so he was scrunching it to make sounds and generally being a pain. So frustrating how parents let children behave.

The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. It’s always the parents fault. No one has to go to the theatre, do they?

If you spend any time overseas, it's really noticeable how badly behaved kids in the UK actually are. Other nationalities seem to manage to produce well behaved, well mannered and engaged children.

Thats nonsense. You get badly behaved children in every country. French teenagers I encountered in Jersey were a particular delight, (Not)

I didn't think I went to the best of areas to see pantos each year, but I have never seen this behaviour, ever!

Some adults can’t behave at the theatre though either. And I’m not talking pantomimes. The first time I saw Hamilton a mother and daughter in front of us sang along to practically every song. We were in the stalls and I’m only surprised a cast member didn’t tell them to shut up.

That's bad. I went to a children's theatre performance recently and the whole theatre of 0-5 year old were great and well kept in check by their parents.

I can’t stand parents who think it’s cute when their child calls out during a show or church service. Or runs up the aisle during a wedding and pulls down the floral pew ends. Which I have seen! And the parents thought it the funniest thing they’d ever seen while the mother of the bride sat with her mouth open. Perhaps parents of small children are so sleep-deprived they forget all sense of normal behaviour and decency.

Wow,.that sounds dreadful, they should let everyone know at the start that the whole group will be asked to leave if one of them misbehaves, child or adult. Sitting and watching sensibly at the theatre for a short while is really not that much to ask.

Bloody auto correct!

I went to the 9pm showing of Barbie- 9pm.
There was family there which included a baby in a car seat plus 2 very young- 3& 4 years maybe Holden. Throughout the entire film one if them was making a noise. Either the baby screaming or one of the small children running up and down the isles. They had an older tonnage child with them and she kept running about after one it other if the younger children. I think it was after 11pm when the film ended. People must have been saying things about this family as when they stood up to leave, about 5 minutes before the end by which time not only was the baby screaming but so too was one of the other children, the teenage girl turned around and was glaring at the people behind her.
Defies belief really. I haven’t been to the cinema since then.

Poor performers! Sounds hellish.

I teach primary and the behaviour of some children flips like a switch when parents pick them up. It's eye-opening. They have behaved perfectly well all day, then suddenly they are tantrumming at Mum or Dad once collected.

Some parents don't believe me when I tell them that their dc are beautifully behaved and polite and thoughtful. Yes, they really can sit and work quietly for 20 minutes and then tidy up without complaint!

At a community show over the summer, a woman with kids in tow marched straight through one of the acts. With role models like that the kids don't stand a chance.

That's one of the more ridiculous examples of poor parenting I've read (and I've read a lot of craziness with this gentle parenting malarkey). Children should be taught to sit still when at tables and in public places like theatres, a toddler squirming around is fair enough, but if you can't keep them on their seat/your knee you leave the space.

Pantos you do expect a bit of noise, children asking questions perhaps but not running around. If parents taught them from 6 months to be seated daily at the table and eat as a family then by the time they get to toddler age they are used to sitting still - mine went to concerts and performances from babies and never were an issue. You can't expect them to behave out if you don't have rules in your house

There's a lot of shitty, lazy parenting around, apparently it's kinder on the little darlings. 🙄 It's not really doing them any favours in the long run is it? They will struggle to function properly in society.

If you spend any time overseas, it's really noticeable how badly behaved kids in the UK actually are. Other nationalities seem to manage to produce well behaved, well mannered and engaged children.

My student DD (17 at the time) worked at a well known theatre and the behaviour; mainly adults was horrific, She finally left when a man (with wife and kids) refused to put his bottle of vodka away and then spat on her and told her she'd ruined their night.

That is dreadful!!

I'm taking dd to see a panto next week and now praying we don't have to experience this!

Thankfully she wasn't seated near us or I think I'd have decked her. There were plenty of children in the audience behaving appropriately.

As an avid watcher of Doctors Behind Closed Doors I can’t understand how parents can let their sprogs run amock while they’re in the doctors surgery room?
Can’t wait to see a feral kid plunge their grubby little paws into the sharps bin..worth the tv license alone!

I mean this is just all kids at all events. I don't have kids and would never go to a pantomime or anything else that was obviously kid-based.

She sounds delightful. 😮

The worst behaviour I have seen at an amateur panto was from an adult! She talked constantly, except when her friend/relative was onstage (one of the dancers) and then cheered, whooped and shouted out her name. When asked to be quiet by other audience members, she swore at them.

Where are you? I’ve never seen behavior that bad round here and I have a 4 year old so am at children’s performances and activities a lot. It’s pretty shocking if kids were allowed to run on the stage and annoy the performers.