to want to watch the Nativity play without toddlers screaming.

[windchime]

Another Christmas, another Nativity play, and another hour of sitting in the school hall listening to the screams and shouts of strangers' toddlers. Before the play started, the Head asked nicely if upset babies and toddlers could be taken outside because the children and staff had worked so hard on the play. But, of course, the play was totally ruined for everyone because of a few inconsiderate, ignorant and selfish parents NOT taking their child outside when they started (and continued) playing up. The school was filming it to sell as a dvd. Good luck with that.

*your

So let your lid scream the house down refuse to take them. out and then tell a crowd of four yr olds who have worked so hard who started school just a few short weeks ago to "get over it"

all so some cow doesn't have to move their arse or parent their child.

nice

I'm old with old kids but I can just zone out extraneous toddler noise most of the time and remember with somewhat rose tinted glasses that once it was me and I'm sure I must have pissed some people off in the past for this same crime. A mum doing her best to sort a baby/ toddler out ? Not a problem - I'll be the mad woman who says " you did well in there " .

Not so for the unchecked running amok , I might get a bit judgy but I don't recall much of that tbh.

DDs school do a crèche which solves the whole problem nicely. Unfortunately they don't run a crèche for people who just want to gossip, or those who hold up their up iPads to film and obscure the view for everybody behind...

"It's a primary nativity people, not the first night of les mis. Chill!"

Those little children have practised and practised to say those one or two lines in their bravest voices. Some are really quite nervous before hand, but desperate to have a go.

Having a go at performing on stage is something children work towards, and it is a really good confidence boosting thing for them to do.

For those little ones the nativity is a big deal. Yes, it isn't a big budget theatre show - but to the children doing it, it is important.

And no one has said no noise at all. Some quiet whispers or a bit of laughing is expected - and often encouraged. But sadly some parents do allow their younger toddlers and babies to remain in the room shouting and screaming, or talking loudly throughout. Really, the parents do have to take the initiative here and if their toddler won't stay quiet the you have to take them out. It is only fair on other parents and the performing parents to do so.

YANBU

And it is unfair and inaccurate to insinuate that the OP must have an only child to feel irked by this. Many of us on this thread, I'm pretty sure, have had a toddler and a school age child, or children.

I guess it's hard to know what the level of disruption OP suffered. I would expect constant background noise from siblings and babies (YABU) but if a baby was full on crying or toddler having a complete melt down of course they should be taken out if a snack doesn't work (YANBU) OP sounds intolerant to any noise but I could have that wrong. OP?

YANBU OP.

I have hearing problems and DS's school has a large number of hearing impaired pupils.

Background noise makes it really difficult for me to hear anything and at DS's nativity it was almost impossible to listen because of one hissy argument between a mum and a preschooler (One of those that keep saying "if you don't stop it, we're going home" but they never do, they just keep repeating that same thing and sitting right where they are) and another toddler trying to use an empty chair as a push along car, complete with brum-brum noises.

It's selfish, and those parents were spoiling it for their own child as well as everybody else.

I went to the KS1 Nativity last night as a Governor, as mine is now in KS2.

They do an afternoon and an evening performance but there seemed to be a few toddlers there.

For a change none of them kicked off, but there were a couple of dads near me who chatted through the whole performance. Unfortunately they weren't close enough for me to tell them to shut up without causing a disturbance myself. Why are some people so selfish?

Yes Tykeisagirl
Naggy toddlers, meh. It's other parents that are the problem.
Front row parents queuing from dawn and saving seats for their millions of family,
Parents constantly filming with IPad, smart phone and flash photography,
Rustling of sweets,
Parents stage whispering until their little darling is on then giving you evils if you so much as clear your throat when they perform.
Parents randomly standing up, not caring about all the other ones behind them.
Parents getting and answering texts, phone calls, playing candy crush or in the case of the Dad next to me marking year 9 maths homework.
They are the behaviours that need to be banned.

I think we can tell who are the selfish parents here, can't we?!

YANBU, windchime. I was at DC1's nativity play yesterday with my 1yo and 8wo. Thankfully they were both beautifully quiet but I would definitely have taken them out if they had been noisy.

YANBU. But there will unfortunately always be those parent s who gaze fondly on while their "spirited" little darlings spoil the occasion for everyone else.

Yanbu and I say that as someone with four DCs, one who is a noisy toddler.

Our school have banned younger children from the school plays, the school provide a crèche staffed by TAs for those who can't get childcare. Its much better as there are no screaming toddlers and I can focus on the play instead of having to keep ds2 quiet and entertained.

Perhaps suggest this to your child's teacher as something to do for the next play.

I was so pleased at dd1s assembly last week. For the first time in nearly 4 years it hasn't been completely disrupted. Why? Because the sibling who did the disrupting has finally started nursery. You could count on her to talk in a loud voice, run up and down the aisle, and shout at every assembly they've done since year one.

In year 2 dd1 was finally brave enough to speak a line in an assembly. I didn't hear it because this child was yelling at the time. I'm not sure I'll ever forgive the parents for not taking her out. Every time.

YANBU. I have more than one child and you just have to suck it up and take them out if they're causing disruption and noise. Why should every other parent there have to put up with your child spoiling the performance, not to mention all the children who have worked so hard on it.

Ah it drives me nuts too. But then so do the parents who hold their phones in the air to film the whole thing, forgetting those of us behind them whose view they're blocking.

I don't mind the odd squawk but persistent screeching is bloody annoying. The creche idea is an excellent one.

I'd like a nativity rant thread.

Yes Hamish that was me a few years ago. DH away a lot, GPs etc not at all helpful, most friends in the area with DCs at the same play so no opportunities for childcare for younger ones. I just had to duck out.

YANBU and Miaow has the right attitude, it's been a while since mine were at the nativity stage but I can remember my DD1 first performance when she was 3 and DC2 was just 6 months old, she sat lovely and quietly all through aided by a bottle, my friend brought her older child who had a meltdown and she didn't leave, arghh.

Yanbu. Our school doesn't allow parents to bring their babies or toddlers but they are welcome to the dress rehearsal.
annoyingly one family thought they were above it all and brought their toddler anyway. Everyone else stuck to the rule and had to make arrangements. There will always be selfish people.

Yanbu, it's just selfish.

YANBU

The school I'm a governor at had this trouble for a few years

Now they provide a free creche in one of the classrooms. Perhaps it might be worth seeing if this is possible?

Yanbu. At ds's nativity last year I had a small child jabbering away at the top of her voice the whole fucking performance, looked on fondly by her mum. Non stop commentary about which child was on stage, oh look there's X, mummy who's that, on and on and on... Even worse was that we were right next to the teacher filming it, so when we'd paid up for the DVD all we got was her bloody babbling drowning out the performance The mum was oblivious to everyone's glares, but just chatted back to her dd answering her questions.

I think it would be hugely unfair to ban all toddlers. I have no childcare at the moment and it would mean missing DD1 entirely shed be really upset. If they were to do a creche/other performance fair enough but if none of that is offered then no.

Having said that it's also ridiculous to say it's only "Parents of only's" who don't understand as a previous poster said. I took my younger 2 with me (6months and 2) and went prepared with chocolate and boobs! If either had made more than a peep they'd be taken out (and i did take baby out at harvest festival) and i would be wholly unimpressed to listen to someone else's toddler kicking off.

YANBU I have been to many assemblies and Christmas nativities ruined by noisy children.