to be fed up with my DC's Christmas performances being spoilt by noisy smaller children?

[gonaenodaethat]

I've been to several Christmas performances/concerts/carol services in the last few days. My DDs (12 and 8) have practiced hard with all their classmates and were looking forward to them.

Each time though though, all their efforts were drowned out by the persistant banging, shouting and general noise of pre-school siblings.(one in particular)

Now, my children were small once and I understand it can be difficult to keep them quiet but I don't get the mentality where no effort is made to engage or keep them quiet at all. FGS, if all else fails, take them out. It's so distracting for the big kids who have put so much effort in.

I'm not talking about a little bit of noise, I know that's unavoidable, I'm talking about sustained noise right through the whole thing. At one point this particular child tried to get on the stage!

Anyway, feel a bit tight as he was only wee but couldn't help being p'd off.

Where my DDs went they had one particular perfomance for parents who had no choice but to bring little ones. It worked well and there were never any tinies in the other performances we went to.

However the toddlers are not the only ones who make noise at such occasions. It's the parents who talk all the way through (stopping only for breath when their only little darlings appear on stage and all around are furiously shushed) who drive me mad!

My dcs school did a toddler friendly performance too.

I think that wubbzy is getting an unneccessary hard time here. She did her best in the situation she found herself in, and did try to use the creche provided, and when that didn't work, she left the performance when one of her children got noisy. She tried to be there for her dd, and to focus on her by using the creche, and she minimised the disruption when one of her children did get noisy. Give her a break, people!

Fwiw, I can understand what she means about moving and only having a couple of friends - I am in a similar position, but luckily for me, my dses are old enough to be left at home alone if we have to go to a performance by one or other of them, so it is not such an issue. But I know that it is perfectly possible to know no-one who'd be able to care for your children.

FFS Rocky, If I didn't care I would have sat through the entire thing not got up and walk out.

Were your kids all born 5years old?

Thank you Neicie and staying.

It is very hard to cope with feeling socially excluded from most situations either because you have a tantruming toddler or a daughter who tantrums due to her obssessions. And two other children on top. Hence, making small talk at the school gates just to make friends/babysitters goes far down on my list of priorities.