To think you should leave the room with your screaming baby?

[reventiania]

DS nativity today, 120 kids in the performance.

Throughout 75% of it, there were two babies (aged around 12 months) that were screaming and crying. It made it impossible to hear what the children were saying, and it essentially ruined the whole thing.

AIBU to think they should have left the room with them? I'm so cross for the children as they've worked so hard, just for crying babies to drown out their voices.

yanbu. Absolutely they should have taken them out to settle them.

My DD was in a village show recently (all children) and there was a boy approx 4/5 in the audience. He spoke through the entire show loudly (what are they doing? Why are they doing that? Who’s that mummy?) and the parents just ignored him other than the odd shush. It was so distracting and must have been very distracting for the poor kids performing.

Yes they should have, 100%. In my children’s school the head would say the children have spent weeks learning their lines and have little voices so please take them out if they cry. Once the head took a baby out herself as mum clearly didn’t want to miss seeing her child, but no-one could hear a thing

Both of my children’s schools primary and secondary had a rule about no young children/babies we’re not allowed to attend performances of course some parents thought they were exempt from this rule and brought babies and young children they would be placed at the back of the hall closest to the door and if the child started crying or being disruptive they would be sent out of the hall, secondary school they wouldn’t get in at all they were very firm about the rule and I don’t blame them there’s nothing worse than listening to a baby or child crying or being disruptive in that setting it’s not fair on anyone it ruins the show

At my kids school, parents with younger children were only allowed to watch the dress rehearsal which I thought was fair. I had a young baby and toddler in those years

So every other child misses out instead? 🙄

We stopped siblings coming in the end because of parents like this - had no choice.

You know you can't usually hear what is said at a nativity even if the audience is silent?
120 children? Was this a stadium gig?
How big was the hall? Seating for what, 250?
The children with speaking parts would have been mic'd up, I think this is an issue for whoever set up the PA, not the tiny percentage of babies that got upset during the performance.

100%

At my ds school the head always makes a point of saying before any performance (whether it's harvest festival, assemblies, nativity etc) that babies are welcome but if they start to make a noise please take them outside as the children only have little voices and they've worked very hard to create this performance for us all.

I think that's fair and an appropriate way to set the standard before things begin. Can't always rely on peoples common sense in this situations.

Nativity plays are for all primary school aged children. We used to have entire school nativities (Year 6 had the main parts) when I was at primary school. I have a 1 year old and if she cried during a performance, I would leave the room for a bit. It's selfish not to.

Absolutely agree. Dad is in a number of theatre groups and during their performances this year there were crying / shouting babies at each one. It’s so incredibly rude. They were sat right by the door in almost every case, but only one parent saw fit to take their child outside.

What is WRONG with people?!

The phone calls, texting brigade in the cinema are also selfish twats. 🤬😤

Yes they should, and it's why younger siblings end up being banned from watching in some schools.

So glad DD2 was allowed to watch DD1 as Mary though. We were sat right at the front, DD2 was only ten months old and I was ready to nip out at the first sign of trouble. But she sat so quietly and never took her eyes off her sister, it was so cute.

I think it’s unreasonable to feel a child’s nativity play is “ruined” by a baby crying.

Yanbu. At DS's nativity last year, there was an idiot with a screaming child who, after allowing the first quarter of the performance to be disrupted, took the child to the back of the hall.

We could all still hear it, but to add insult to injury, she'd positioned herself right behind the guy the school had brought in to video the performance. We weren't offered the chance to buy a video that year - presumably that was ruined, too.

Sorry, but 120 children on stage is not a nativity play, it's a feckin ridiculous bun-fight.

This, I don’t mind the crying children so much. Would’ve taken mine out. The talkers on the other hand. Used to be the same ones at DDs. They only shut up for their own kids. Used to make me so mad. I’ve told them to shut up before but that only spurred them on.

There should be no screaming babies/kids and no noises from mobile phones.

This seems incredibly OTT.

I took my DD out of the nativity the other day. She managed about 20 minutes then started wriggling, shouting, whining (she's a toddler) and I just took her to the back and then when she didn't settle down, into the reception area.

My older DC were delighted I had turned up to see them and I made a fuss of how amazing and brilliant they were and how proud I was.

No way should a loud baby or toddler ruin it for the others. That's so self centred.

We had 3 nativities, each with 200+ kids and they were absolutely brilliant tbh. The kids were amazing. The leads were mic'd up at least.

I took DS2 out when he was a distracting toddler and had placed myself on the end of the row knowing it was a possibility.
I couldn't concentrate on what was happening on the stage with him "toddlering" around, so I wasn't hugely missing out, and it wasn't fair on anyone else if I stayed in with him ether.

I don't understand parents that put themselves and everyone else in the room through the stress of staying in and being a disturbance.

The reality was that I could never see or hear much through a sea of shoulders anyway (and worse if people left their coats with big fluffy hoods on). In later years I realised that it was better to just stand at the back so I could at least see what was happening and derive some sense from it.

I always have stayed right at the very back if any of mine cried I could get away to let others hear. It's selfish to spoil it for others. Sorry OP it got ruined and you heard not very much!

Ds's headmistress before the start of any performance would announce firmly that any screaming siblings must be removed from the hall.
She wasn't a lady to be messed with.

It's exactly this kind of attitude that's the problem today. The needs or wants of one trumping the majority.
Of course you'd be upset if you missed your child's performance, but if YOUR other child's screaming means every other parent (and child on stage) has their experience ruined, you act like a grown up and leave to settle them.
Also, if your child is that upset, you need to deal with their needs too.

Absolutely agree they should have been taken out, but not at all surprised they weren't. Some parents just don't see the impact on others.

We had a Christmas family visit out at the weekend (fancy hotel with Santa in the corner, gifts for DC organiser at time of booking) and this will realistically be the last year for us due to age of DC (older DC was going along with it for sake of younger DC). It was absolutely beautiful - authentic looking Santa, gorgeous decorations and music. And completely dominated by one family who let their pre schooler rampage throughout. She screamed, stamped her feet and tantrumed for the whole time we were there and they just ignored her. So many family visits and experiences affected by one family who just sat there.

This is a really selfish attitude.
Lots if families have challenging dynamics at home. Why should one crying baby be allowed to ruin it for the rest of the class and their families?