To think if your DC struggle with behavior at the the theatre you bookend them?

[SummerHolidaysAreHere]

At the the theatre today and the family next to us was two children and two adults. The adults sat the two children together next to us and they sat on the aisle end basically ignored their kids while they talked, fought, kicked the seat in front and bounced up and down and into each other and us. They repeated the same set up after the interval. AiBU to think the considerate thing to do would be to put an adult next to each child so they could manage their behavior or at least limit the effects on others?

We always bookended ours anyway because of the HORROR of having to sit next to a stranger. But you are entirely correct. It's like being on a plane, you corral them and manage them until they're old enough and trustworthy enough to behave properly.

@SummerHolidaysAreHere why didn't you say something to the parents??

That's a different question - in this case, I am asking about the general behavior not our reaction to this instance

*But the reason is that another audience member was talking to them at the start of the interval and so I assumed they'd got the message. They sat down again when the curtain was up and the adults were too far away to talk to.

How old were the kids @SummerHolidaysAreHere? If old enough to know what the expectations are in a theatre/cinema etc then there’s no excuse, particularly for the lack of intervention by the parents.

In March this year my youngest DBro and SIL took my niece and nephew (3 and 5 respectively at the time) to one of the test events for the opening of the new Everton stadium. When I asked him how it went he said they all kind of enjoyed it but he spent more time up and down to the toilet with each of them than actually watching the game so won’t be in a rush to try and get any season tickets etc! Whilst some younger kids can sit still and watch/concentrate, many can’t and I don’t think it’s fair on those around you to be disrupted with all the up and down and coming and going when you’re trying to enjoy whatever you’re there to see, and you just need to postpone going to these types of places until they are able to behave more appropriately for the setting.

Around 6 and 8 I'd say

Well then definitely old enough to know better and be capable of sitting down, quietly and considerately. The fact that the parents did nothing to address the bad behaviour leads me to suspect these kids will be ones also allowed to run around restaurants unchecked, push other kids off slides and swings rather than waiting their turn at the playground etc.

When I was a kid my Dbros and I would never have behaved that way and if we did start playing up, we’d have had one warning and then been removed and taken home. At that age, I’d expect parents to know if their child is capable and willing to sit still and behave for a sustained period of time and if not, then to choose some other more suitable activity for them!

I went to the Royal Shakespeare theatre last year to see a comedy. A family in front of us had brought their two youngish children probably 8 ish. Just why?

The were bored and started chattering to each other Then the selfish parents tried to explain what was going to them disturbing everyone around them. In the end the people sitting next to us tapped the women on the shoulder and told her to stop it because it was distracting.

She looked like she was about to kick off but at this point other rows were glaring at this family and they quite sensibly decided to button it.

I found the play quite hard to follow so god knows what these kids were thinking.

Perfect reply ✂️