To think this is selfish (nativity)

[LolaDabestest]

My child's nativity today, 2 showings morning and afternoon. My daughter had a decent part with lines...not showing off they started school as a shy quiet child so massive step for her and I wanted to get her part on my phone. Anyway got there 15 minutes early I'm never one of the saddos that arrives early to hog the front row I always just slink to the back.
Bare in mind I was 15 minutes early front row was filled and ended up having to slink to the back.
I looked along the front row and there was literally about 4 parents the rest were obviously extended family bit peeved but hey they obviously got there mega early I don't got time for that shit.

I had to stand at the back zooming in to get a vid of my child which was annoying but hey ho. Anyway my aibu is I later found out that the parents at the front mum, dad, two sets of grandparents had been to both the showings (4 hours apart) and took up half the front row in both shows!! Their child didn't have a speaking part(), it's really pissed me off tbh as they should have at least let other parents have a chance at being at the front to get some decent pics etc. And the fact that it was half their family as well.

Anyway I know I sound precious but without going into things this was a massive moment for my child and it would have been nice to actually have had a decent view and come away with a nice vid of her part.

People do seem to get very entitled when it comes to nativities, my daughters was yesterday and I could barely see a thing as near enough a whole family had taken up the spaces, fair enough if they got there earlier but they wernt even watching the children, mostly just talking amongst themselves, the dad was even doing a tesco online shop at one point!

Not really the point but.....I always rock up right as it's about to start, not late but right on the wire due to work hours. As people never sit right next to strangers I always manage to get a space in the front row. Just a quick 'sorry, is this seat taken?'. It never is and I plop my bottom down 🤣👍

Get a grip.

You do realise that you’re not actually allowed to photograph/video school plays?

Savour the moment and move on, watch the magic with your own eyes, your child will be more pleased to see your face looking back at them, not some body with a camera for a bloody head.

you should not have been allowed to photograph ot record this ...I hope permissions were given! YABU seats were obviously allocated on first come basis.

Of course you are allowed if the head gives their consent. It is always announced in advance and a request made not to share to social media.

Who in their right mind would sit through two shows of the same nativity play??? That’s bonkers

I’m torn as I can see why it was so important to you and understand your frustration with having a little one and so not being able to focus on getting there early.

On the other hand extended family are important some can be as close as parents and it’s lovely that they want to be involved.

I don’t understand why if your child is performing you wouldn’t want to see it as many times as possible. However I don’t criticise those who don’t and don’t see why they should criticise my desire to do so. I make no apology for turning up early to get a seat where I can see my child.

went to see OHs DGD in hers - couldn't see a thing for big men stood up videoing the lot - and then ignorant parents talking loudly when the bit their children were in, was finished - 3 classes all doing a different scene

No yanbu, my kids school gives you 2 tickets for each showing, so that this doesn't happen, personally our school goes abit overboard with it as they include any siblings as your 2 tickets, not great if both parents want to come and you can't get a babysitter. Maybe you should speak to the school and ask them to do something similar next year. I would be pissed off if it was me, that was so selfish of this family, I understand its nice if extended family can come but to hog the front row like that at both showings is out of order. I hope that you got some nice pics and video anyway, xxx

Yanbu. Bad enough they go to the play twice and in great numbers, which most school discourage. But front row twice is very annoying.
OP did arrive early so I don't get why people are having a go. Unless you don't camp there overnight you can't be annoyed, is that it?

As a short person. I don’t think I’ve seen one of my kids performances. I watched one through a held up iPad filming it all once. Despite getting there early there’s always someone barging in.
Other people are annoying.

Ask the family if they have any good photos they could share ?

This happens all the time at my kids school , more in one class than the others ... it’s just the way it is ... 15 minutes is not early for this type of family

first come first served is the way of the world.

Who in their right mind would sit through two shows of the same nativity play???

I do - we are allowed 2 tickets per child per performance. As a single parent with no family locally if I don't go to both then my child has nobody watching them at the other performance. I am still using the same number of tickets as a couple so it makes no difference to anybody else.

Firstly, well done that your child who has had difficulty with speaking has developed the confidence to take on a speaking part. Yes, it seems a bit excessive to stay for 2 shows but we dont know their reasons...and every child is important after all whether speaking part or no. Schools do normally try to limit first sets of tickets to 2 each for parents then extras afterwards- if they didnt perhaps this could be suggested. Do the school record the nativity for parents to buy? Ours does and I know the reception parents especially like to have a copy. I know this was a big deal for you seeing your little one shine possibly for the first time at school- however if they've managed such progress in their first term-there will definitely be more for you to be proud of.

Thank goodness I don’t have to deal with that shit anymore 🤣
When my youngest was that age, there was a girl in his class whose family would do the exact same thing, everyone but the bloody dog would be there, on the front row and they’d go to both performances. People started to complain so the school decided to start ticketing performances and only allowing 2 tickets per child to avoid bullshit like that. It worked out so much better, perhaps you could suggest that to your child’s school?

From many years experience this is always the way. I learnt to get there earlier and earlier if my child if my child had a big part otherwise you are as well on the back row standing on your chair. If you can’t beat them join them.

Thats life Im afraid. The main thing is to be there for your dc.

At my school we share video on WhatsApp so those with the best angles share them by subset (shepherds angels etc) . Zoom function on camera is good enough to get a decent shot anyway.

Not allowed to video these days i dont think

I didn't get to see my son's nativity this week because I was in hospital with his ill brother. My parents had my extra ticket, meaning they could both go, and they bloody well sat in the front, so he could see them there.

When my daughter was at infant school Parents could either request 1 or two tickets for either of the two performances not both also the grandparents had a totally separate performance. I can understand the frustration of it all. Why not make a suggestion to the school about limiting tickets.

As a single parent with no family locally if I don't go to both then my child has nobody watching them at the other performance.

fair enough, but all - or most - of the other kids only have family watching them at 1 performance! The only reason most schools organise 2 or more performance is to allow all the parents to watch by taking turn and keeping number manageable, not for each family to go to each session

I hope Mary and Joseph's parents got the royal box! Are you serious!

School should allocate tickets so each family get max of 2. Then if any returned are returned as parents cannot attend school re-allocates them to those on waiting list. No family ever allowed more than 4 though.

You have my sympathies.

On the point of it being irrelevant whether their child had a speaking part or not - agreed, but I did raise an eyebrow the other day at my DC’s school carol concert where a boy pushed himself to the middle of the front row, with encouragement from his mother and cheered at having done so, then stood there silent not singing for most of the songs. I know the child and they don’t have any speech & language users so it wasn’t that. Didn’t affect my child as they weren’t on stage at the time, and rather amusing that the mother was trying to take lots of photos and videos but in most of them her son wouldn’t have been doing much. She said afterwards it was the school’s fault her was quiet because they’d taken him out of the rehearsal before the show to tell him off about something