to be confused why children cannot go for 35 minutes without food

[PrincessScrumpy]

I left dtds at home with dh and took dd1 for a treat to the theatre - Charlie and Lola. She loved it and each side if the interval was about 35mins. From start to finish, the 2 families in front of us passed sweets up and down the row. I just don't get it - the theatre isn't the cinema with popcorn, but I understand some dc may need the odd chocolate button as a bribe, but my dd sat and watched the show, then had ice cream in the interval. tbh I think the kids infront would have been fine without food but their mothers insisted on them having it. I just think it's unnecessary and bad etiquette but I'm probably a grumpy old woman.

I'm with you, OP. They were watching a show. That was the treat. Why did they need oral gratification as well?

Actually, if you eat while doing something else you don't notice what you are eating and tend to eat more. So really, what was the point of the sweets?

I have just read a book which you might enjoy - 'French Children Don't throw Food'- it's the observations of an American woman living in Paris who talks about the french way of bringing up kids compared to the (mostly) US but also UK way.

French kids don't snack between meals - the author talks of her fellow US moms chasing their kids round the playpark brandishing rice cakes while the child plays quite happily and shows no sign of being hungry.

Why were the parents shoving food into the children's mouths? Leave them alone! It's just an extention of 'narrating' your child's life. They don't need a running commentary or intervention. Let them be!

Next time take her to see Romeo and Juliet, no fun, but no sweets either. Lets see how your high standards last with that!

Going to the theatre is a treat, a perfect time to enjoy sweets and bits!

Cuckoomama - you could say that about plenty of threads on mn

Chinese banquet at a shakespeare play sounds brilliant BTW. I'd pay for that.

You're not confused you've just got your judgy pants hoiked up too far.

An easy mistake for a parent to make when someone does things differently to them.

Could there be a more irritating title for a book than "French Children don't throw food"? Where does op say they were "shoving" food into the children's mouths?

Going to the theatre is a treat, a perfect time to enjoy sweets and bits!

Yes, if it does not detract from other people's pleasure. Its what intervals are for - much better wait for the ice-cream then than stuff sweets during the performance.

Off to see fireman Sam this weekend. Must remember my family size bag of crisps! Ooh la la.

Ermm....my children dont throw food, nor do the children of any of my friends!

If you wanted to get in a tizz about children making noise in the theatre (a production for little children, I note) then why didn't you say so? Why on earth are you speculating about children not being able to go without food for 35 minutes?

There is nothing in the OP to suggest that they were being noisy or anything else though so how exactly does that detract from other peoples pleasure?

And to expect children to all be sat perfectly at a childrens performance is expecting a lot anyway!

Indeed, halcyondays, the 'shoving' was all my own work.

(It was actually a quote from my own equally irritating book - 'British Children Eat Too Many Sweets.' )

YANBU. I've sat through a few hows where they've been disrupted by people who just can't appreciate that others want to sit and watch the show without constantly being distracted by their talking / sweet paper rustling, passing things back and forth, texting etc. It beggars belief that some people's concentration spans are just so short.

Who's up for coming with me to watch some paint dry?

Depends, cuckoomama - will there be pick'n'mix?

Can I bring my sarnies?

They sell horrendously overpriced boxes of sweeties in theatre foyers. So therefore they expect people to eat sweeties at the theatre, IMO. In fact, aren't those posh Opera biscuits named after L'Opera in Paris?

So YABU about the sweets. However, YANBU about the rustling.

I'm a grown up, apparently, and I buy Galaxy Minstrels, when I am at the theatre. Well, my Great Uncle buys them, I just eat them

Maybe he is worried I will misbehave if I get too hungry? Come to think of it he does still hold onto the back of my coat when I am crossing roads and warns me about wandering off too far in case I get lost

It was a kids show, what did you expect?

Merrylegs-Loads of it and popcorn to throw around.

I expected dc to make a bit of noise, I just felt these parent's need to feed their children sweets was unnecessary and could have waited for the interval then it would have been better for everyone else.

If you aren't meant to eat sweets at the theatre why are they always for sale in the foyer pre-show?

I ate sweets when I went to see Macbeth

X-post!