Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Seriously who takes babies to the theatre?!

156 replies

EL8888 · 15/02/2020 19:05

Went to the theatre last night, 2 babies and their mothers were there. Cue a fair amount of noise throughout. It’s not a mother and baby group?!! People are trying to enjoy and concentrate. Don’t worry l checked and it wasn’t a “baby / children showing” or something like that. Some people are so self absorbed and entitled

I probably shouldn’t write this in AIBU. Because l really don’t think l am! My partner and the woman sat next to me who l don’t know were unhappy as well 😡

OP posts:
Original poster
EL8888 · 16/02/2020 02:45

@Divebar totally not “lovely”. Just annoying and distracting

OP posts:
Original poster
EL8888 · 16/02/2020 02:51

Oh and loving the comments about oppression. To be honest l think the rest of the audience (and the cast) were oppressed by a few peoples selfishness and poor / give a fuck / entitled mentalities. I made clear to the women (each of them had a baby with them of course!) their behaviour was unacceptable, if they felt judged then good. People need to realise some places are adult environments, babies / children cannot go everywhere with their parents. Still waiting for the theatre to get back to me 🙄

OP posts:
Original poster
EL8888 · 16/02/2020 02:55

@CheerfulBunny that’s the kind of thing l mean. Just whatever body else wanted lm sure, toddler plus big buggy to navigate round. Perfect for a romantic evening

OP posts:
Darcydashwood · 16/02/2020 07:39

A PP mentioned the Lion King stage show but they actually have a pretty strict age policy! They say the show is recommended for ages 6+ and under-3s are not allowed in at all.

KatherineJaneway · 16/02/2020 08:10

I managed to flick his ear before his parents saw. How he howled!

😂😂😂

PineappleDanish · 16/02/2020 08:13

if it's just a few baby cries, in a theatre of all places, isn't it a lovely reminder of our being?

Peak entitlement, people.

PurpleDaisies · 16/02/2020 08:25

But if it's just a few baby cries, in a theatre of all places, isn't it a lovely reminder of our being?

Why “in a theatre of all places”? I can’t think of many worse places for a crying baby.

Crying babies are not lovely.

KatherineJaneway · 16/02/2020 08:51

But if it's just a few baby cries, in a theatre of all places, isn't it a lovely reminder of our being?

No, just a reminder that people can be inconsiderate arseholes.

I can just imagine Sir Patrick Stewart walking across the stage, very serious scene and all of a sudden 'Wahhhhhhh!' 👶

Enchiladas · 16/02/2020 08:57

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

JacquesHammer · 16/02/2020 08:58

I managed to flick his ear before his parents saw. How he howled!

Yeah course you did.

OP YANBU. Entirely selfish behaviour.

MarchDaffs · 16/02/2020 09:01

If it's a children's show fine but if not, not fine. I guess theatres might fall foul of the law if they don't admit breastfeeding women?

No, not at all. There's no legal requirement to permit a breastfeeding woman to enter a private venue. It would only be illegal to ban breastfeeding women and babies if you let bottle fed ones in, or if you did allow mothers and babies and tried to ask one to leave for breastfeeding. If you had a blanket no under 1s rule or whatever, that obviously would exclude most breastfed babies and potentially a lot of their mothers, but it would be absolutely fine. Age limit rules don't become unlawful if the person being excluded is being breastfed.

Nanny0gg · 16/02/2020 09:04

@Brookeborn

The point was that I personally would not feel offended by hearing a small baby cry for food or comfort (which is more often than not the reason - depending on how small we are talking - if they are five and being shits then I am annoyed.)

Are you for real? So people who have spent £100s on tickets, not to mention the performers who have rehearsed and rehearsed to give of their best shouldn't feel 'offended'?

Of all the selfish, entititled, ridiculous behaviour...that just takes the cake.

Bloody get a babysitter like everyone else!

Oysterbabe · 16/02/2020 09:09

I'm seeing Book of Mormon next week. I would be so annoyed if someone brought a baby. I'm pretty sure they wouldn't be allowed though.

Soffy · 16/02/2020 09:21

There's no need to try the 'oppressed female' card. Book a babysitter. Simple.

It is totally reasonable that some events and places should not be accessible to young children. Anyone who rocks up at a theatre with a noisy child /person,where people have spent lots of £ and need to listen are being selfish idiots.

We had the same a few years ago when we went to see War Horse. We paid about £200 for tickets and it was a much wanted birthday gift. We had the misfortune to sit in front of a 12 year old who loudly asked questions to his mother, and gave a running commentary about the storyline. Not once did his mother tell him to Shhhhh. In the end I turned round and told him to be quiet and save his questions for the interval.Not another peep out of him .

A child who is too young to understand they need to be quiet shouldn't be there. So that includes all you selfish people who take your babies along. None of this crap about how well behaved they are. They are babies and toddlers and they all cry.

One of my children has SEN which affects understanding social norms and I would only allow him in that situation now he's older and understands. If he was going to talk all the way though (up until he was about 13 he would) then I dont feel his desire to go to the theatre trumps the rights of others to be able to sit and listen to the show. It's not essential to his well being that he goes to the theatre .

JorisBonson · 16/02/2020 09:22

Jesus wept, I can't believe some of the replies.

OP, you are most definitely not BU. The entitlement of those people is awful.

if it's just a few baby cries, in a theatre of all places, isn't it a lovely reminder of our being?

It's a lovely reminder of why I am very happily childfree, and how fucking selfish some people are.

AJPTaylor · 16/02/2020 09:35

I hoot with the " I take them out if they are noisy"
By that time you have impacted hundred of people's enjoyment. Dimwit.

snapcrap · 16/02/2020 09:57

I think we've come a long way as a society to accept that babies can be noisy and that mothers should be allowed to breastfeed in any public situation without judgement.

But to take your baby to a place where you need complete quiet and where tickets are bloody expensive (some of the audience might only be able to afford theatre every couple of years so it's a big event) is unbelievably entitled. Makes me hopping mad!

snapcrap · 16/02/2020 09:59

AJPTaylor - yes!! Also in my experience the 'I'll take the baby out if it cries' protestors never actually do take them out, they rattle toys at them or shove food in their mouths instead! Seen this at church weddings and funerals, several times. Errm, just saying I'll take them out is not the same as doing it.

my2bundles · 16/02/2020 10:28

Some people are very entitled. Took my young teen ds to a 12a movie as a special treat which we normally carnt afford just to have several toddlers jumping around because because they where bored. Completely ruined the outing, why does others pure self indulgent entitlement come before very one else's enjoyment? Selfish.

Cherrysoup · 16/02/2020 11:06

No different from having a phone ring. Just as annoying and inappropriate. I can’t believe some pp seriously think it’s ok to impact hundreds of others while you smile indulgently at your noisy baby/toddler. You can leave them at home where they’d frankly be happier!

TravelDreamLife · 16/02/2020 11:11

YANBU. I sat through Wicked with a frightened little girl crying & begging to leave, sitting directly behind me - and add to that her mother constantly telling her to be quiet! We'd traveled a long way to see it so I was not impressed!

Avelinebread · 16/02/2020 12:42

Funeral of a much loved 38 year old cousin who died without any warning and left a family. Totally spoilt by the endless babbling of two little girls who had never met him, brought by the type of parents who refer to them as 'the icklies'.
His daughter was so upset, all the while mummy gazed around beaming and dad may have well have popped out his testicle and beat his hollw chest, so bug and virile he felt. Normally entertaining but in the wrong context, horrifying.

AlexaAmbidextra · 16/02/2020 13:41

I went to a funeral of a young woman of 32 who left two small children. As you can imagine, the funeral was very emotionally charged. A couple brought a young baby, I’d say about 6 months old and he screamed, and I mean screamed at full volume for the entire funeral service. It was absolutely awful. The baby’s parents sat steadfastly in their pew refusing to move. The dead woman’s own little girls were there sobbing quietly while being cuddled by their father. You couldn’t hear any of the words of the service as the priest and those doing the readings were competing with the dreadful din. I simply cannot believe that people can be so selfish and entitled, especially in such sad circumstances.

JRUIN · 16/02/2020 13:47

The theatre is not a place for babies. Distracting and annoying for people who have forked out good money for their tickets and not much fun for the baby's either I wouldn't have thought. YANBU.

MissEliza · 16/02/2020 13:48

@AlexaAmbidextra that's bloody awful

Swipe left for the next trending thread