If your children can't sit still quietly for the duration of a film you don't take them to the cinema!

[redskytonight]

I'll start by saying that I loathe the cinema and go as little as possible, so this may be coloring my view. However the DC enjoy so I make myself go occasionally. Today was one such time.
On the very front row (so only the screen in front of them) was a group of 4 women and their assorted children ranging from I'd guess 18 months to 4.

By the time the trailers were over half these children were bored and were up and down from their seats constantly walking over to their mums (who had chosen to sit at one end of the row all together so not even next to the DC) and chatting to them. Presumed it would get better when film started.

It didn't. I'd say only a couple of the children (there were 6 in total) actually managed to sit and watch the whole thing. The others were up and down, walking round the front bit and at a couple of points going right up to the screen so as to block the view. Parents seemed oblivious. At one point I got up and spoke to the usher who had "a word" which only meant the parents were a bit more diligent about getting their children to sit down once they started wandering and shushing them when they spoke - it was still disruptive.

Clearly only the 2 children that sat through the film got anything out of it. On the basis that the cinema is not cheap (this wasn't a cheapo kids showing where I might have had a bit more patience) why on earth would you consider this a sensible place to take your "not interested" toddlers (especially on a nice day as it was here today!)?

AIBU to think that you shouldn't take your DC to the cinema unless they will sit quietly through the film!?

I'm with an earlier poster, so glad that there are autism showings. Makes life easier, as I have a son that will bounce on his chair in excitement and ask all the questions, and one that will try to bimble about with a beatific smile on his face taking the film in in his own way. These showings mean we don't disrupt the film for the majority who've laid out a fair whack to see a film in relative peace.

My older child now goes to the cinema on her own. Much easier!

Moo, you spent .£50?

I want to see Finding Dory, my cinema is good with doing over 18 only showings but none for this one.

Maybe when its been on for a while? Sometimes it depends where you go, we saw Kung .fu Panda and there were no kids at all at 3 pm.

DS1 (5) has a good attention span and has always been good at sitting quietly through a showing. We saw The BFG this week and he didn't say a word from the trailers to the end. He got a little shuffly at the end of Star Wars and sat on DH but it shouldn't have been obvious to anyone else as he was quiet and hidden by the seats.

With standard showings costing about £20 for two of us, I'm not risking it with DS2 who's 3. He probably would be OK, but I'm not confident enough to risk it yet as he's a more wriggly child than his brother.

I remember taking them to Despicable Me when DS1 was 2 and DS2 a young baby. DS1 was transfixed. DS2 was easily kept schtum with milk back then

Taking children who aren't ready is an expensive nuisance for yourself and those surrounding you.

"It might be the only chance for the older children to see the film, if their younger siblings go too'

Well, tough shit. Your older child's desire to see the film doesn't supercede other people's desire to see the film, in peace and quiet.

Just buy them the blu ray FFS.

Yanbu - drives me insane. I don't know why people would want to waste their money taking toddlers to the cinema. Some adults are just as disruptive in the cinema, last time I went there was 3 women behind me gabbing the whole way through the film pissed

The sat/sun morning cheaper screenings are definitely the best way to break little ones in to cinema behaviour - it is so expensive to go to the cinema these days it should not be ruined by children that are far too young to concentrate- and let's not start on the adults that still aren't clear about cinema expectations yet!!!!!

I'd be annoyed at paying full price for Angry Birds. It's on at kids club here.

Yanbu. My Dd 6 and dtb's 4 have yet to go to the cinema. My dd gets very scared in U films still and my 4 yr old twins cannot sit still for 2 hours. When they can watch a film at home reliably I will go to the cinema. My dd isn't missing out as she is a sensitive little thing who can't yet watch most Disney films in their entirety !

I think this is one of the things that genuinely turns me into an angry old bird! My family cringe when it happens near us because they know that I will go and say something.

I think that the problem is that at home the TV is left on with a programme on whilst the kids wander round and do something else. whereas if they are made to sit down and watch it or it goes off it they wander off then I think it helps teach kids concentration.

I particularly love the parents who think it isn't a problem because you know they have paid too.

Flippidy, trust me, I was annoyed at paying full price for bloody Angry Birds.
I had naively assumed that it would be adults at kids' prices, and was already standing at the ticket counter with two excited children when I discovered otherwise!