chair rage at the leavers concert...

[Frogisatwat]

I arrived at my sons leavers assembly. On time. No chairs available so I thought ok so we stand... fine. The teachers then brought out a lot more chairs and put them in front of the existing front row. So I could now have a seat.
Cue all the people who were now in the second row diving forward. I managed to get two chairs before they were all taken completely by the moving second row and a mother looked at me and shouted 'but I got here early so I could film it!!!' and tried to pinch my chairs. So I told her tough shit and it was my chair. Except I didn't say tough shit. I was slightly more eloquent.
Was I unreasonable? If it were me I wouldn't have dreamt of moving forward when the standees had been given seats.

On filming, our school policy is that events can be filmed or photographed, except when parents object for whatever reason so, in theory, there might be some events that can't be filmed by anyone.

The experience of the children should trump anything else IMO which is why noisy audiences are so annoying.

Woah, sorry, I hadn't refreshed the page since I went out so realise the conversation has moved on. I don't apologise for videoing, I never have my camera in anyone else's way - if I'm front row I have it just below my face, if I'm not front row I stay at a side or the back. The only people who see the videos are me & DH, the kids and the grandparents - I love looking back on them and it is fun to see what the kids do the same/differently over the years. I know you can remember stuff but I was surprised the other day when I was watching DD1 aged 7, and realised she was a lot more like her sister at that age than I had ever remembered - I thought they were chalk and cheese.

It was the 'hysterical I got here early to film'

I spent years going to bloody school plays, arriving early to queue outside in the rain only it find the queue was already half way down the street.
Once allowed in the usual culprits AKA the Mumfia would all be saving seats for each other.

I'm deaf and lip read and never heard a thing.

DS had left and DD was in Yr 6 at the leavers concert and had quite a big singing solo. I was in crutches and in a cast so told her to ask her teacher to save me a seat.

I arrived a member of the Mumfia was saving 2 seats for me and DH! It was ace, I heard everything and DD could sing straight at me.

The best thing though was knowing I'd never have to engage in this scrum again!

Are they really that desperate to sit in the front row?! OMG I've got all this to come... Yawn!

Who's going to watch the DVD of the leaving ceremony though? Surely a week later you'd rather not watch the DVD?

I would pmsl if that happened at my daughters old school. last year the feckers in the front row produced those 10 inch i pads to film it and blocked everyones view! what it wrong with just watching it and the odd snap at the end FGS

I'm sorry, no idea if you were unreasonable or not but I'm loving the mental picture of all the parents diving for the front row seats.

Dignity, people.

Yes you were definitely unreasonable but so was the school. They should have put the new row behind.

I always get there early to get the front row. I don't care what others do but I am happy to wait an hour to guarantee the front row. I can't stand watching behind other people. I always video with the camera on my lap so I don't annoy anyone.

Most HTs I worked for only allowed still photos at the end because filming annoyed others in the audience and was a distraction for the DCs.

Those who get there early what do you do with your children for this time. ??? Mine are only allowed on the premises 10 mins early.

I think YWBU. I never get there in time for a front seat and at our school we never have people saving seats or have special perks for certain parents (i am the chair of our PTA and if i dont get there on time its tough, the same as anyone else which is exactly how it should be). We do have the same faces who get there first. Good on them i say. I wish i could do the same. If i had managed to get there first to get a good view, i would be very pissed off to be pushed back to 2nd row by people who were late. I would also have felt awful if the school did this and would have offered my first row spot to a now 2nd rower.

I wouldnt have shouted at you though as its not my way so she WBU for that.

Grown women arguing over chairs at their children's concert? Seems like you both needed to grow up but you were the one being UR.

I'm so glad dd is at secondary school now.

YANBU

PuppyMonkey
I'd have been annoyed if I'd got there early but I wouldn't have blamed you at all or tried to make you swap, I'd have just thought "harrumph, typical" - like the shopping tills scenario above.

Agree with this and coola

But then I am very disdainful of those with nothing better to do who start a queue over an hour before school events, including the muppets at my children's school who were ADAMANT they needed to be positioned right by the finish line at sports day, even though it was in a huge field with loads of vantage points. Plus school halls are frigging tiny - no matter where you sit you can see - it's not like you're sat in the gods with binoculars

I sat in the front row once as it was empty at a christmas play once and wished I hadn't as soon as the reception class started singing because I immediately started to cry (hormone city) and after sitting there with mascara running and a huge lump in my throat feeling like I was the prime exhibit in the zoo as it felt like everyone else was watching me at every event thereafter I chose to stand by the door at the back and sob in relative privacy.

I also cry when I see things like: Salvation Army band, carol singers, trick or treaters, young children singing, young children doing ballet etc... DD just looks across and OH hands me a hanky as I'm invariably blubbing.

And John Lewis' christmas advert last year - I was inconsolable. Especially when I heard the song on the radio, I would just dissolve.
So if I had cause to go to a school play, now, I would choose to not sit in the front at all.

You were perfectly reasonable. Much ado about nothing. I pity the child of the parents desperate to film them.

God, the people who get to every event first and then reserve with bags and coats every seat around them for granny and uncle Toadface...

Wankers.

I would have loved to watch that. All the usurped front rowers losing their staked out places. Hilarious.

Yy buffy

Trying to watch through a sea of arses holding their iPads aloft - sheesh.

I have learnt, best seats - half way down the hall at either far side. You can stand up anytime without being in anyone's way.

I'll bet she's the type to fim on an iPad.

Tsk.

Ugh. Missed Buffy's post.

Too early.

Ha! This happened at one of my ds's assemblies - just a normal mid- year one!

The usual set of parents (mostly mums grandma's) had formed a queue that must have started before the school gates officially open (we were there as the gates opened) and they smugly claimed their front row seats.

As more people than expected turned up to watch, school added another row of seats at the front. The original front rowers were hilarious as they clamboured over the backs of the new front row to reclaim their (in their eyes) rightful place at the front - the looks of pure outrage, then determination and finally smugness on their faces had me in stitches (from my favourite spot at the back where I can stand without aggravating my SI joint problems by sitting on too low chairs).

I can see the situation from both sides, but I hope that there are a ready supply of smug front rowers in every class - they do provide good entertainment!

I don't think you were unreasonable at all, like previous posters have said, it's just tough isn't it? Regarding though, those who get there 'an hour early' to start queuing so they always get to sit at the front - erm what about those of us who simply cannot do that, (through absolutely no fault of our own), why should we always be stuck at the back? Both DH and I work in jobs with unconventional hours. I also work over an hours drive away from DD's school. Because there is so many things now that parents can attend, it isn't possible to always book holiday to attend, (plus it uses up a whole day of precious leave, for an event that sometimes only lasts 20 minutes!). So, DH and I juggle, we ask favours, we arrange our own cover. On occasion we beg! My boss in particular is very understanding about school stuff, but she's certainly not prepared to let me swan off for an extra hour above what I've already negotiated, just so I can loiter outside the school for ages just to have half a chance of actually, you know, being able to catch a glimpse of my 5 year old!
Oh and god YES to the fact it's always the same people in the front. Always. AND they all hold up bloody iPads so you can't see a thing .

To be honest I am surprised that so many people did think I was being 'unreasonable' oh well.