Would you leave 8/9 year olds at the cinema alone?

[Yougotthatvibe]

Took my Dc to the cinema the other day and saw a mum from my area, don’t really know her but have seen her on Sm. I know she works and travels a lot.
Sat down with Dc and her Dd and a friend went to sit down and mum then left.
Kids were laughing a lot, running up and down the stairs.
When we came out, the two girls were waiting by the entrance of the cinema and her Dd constantly calling her on her Apple watch thing.

It made me a bit uncomfortable but am I being overprotective? Cinema is in a large, indoor shopping type place.

No I’d never leave a child at the cinema or similar. For one thing it’s dark - scary for the child, and presumably higher risk from predatory men.

It’s appallingly bad parenting to do this.

She walked in with them, halfway up the steps, then left

She came in with them, so guessing they didn’t notice/care she left

no. Totally inappropriate. And they dont need phones or devices as an adult should be with them

i know, like WTF has this got to do with her leaving her kids in the cinema?

God no! Far too young, maybe 12/13? At a push that is

They were clearly too young but honestly doing cartwheels at the front. I have a 9 year old and he knows that’s not the way to behave in a cinema. Awful.

I would allow this from year 7 so 11-12. 8-9 is far too young. Mind you there’s another post where a mum isn’t keen on her 17 year old going to the cinema so what do I know

Yes I think that age seems ok

I have been pondering this as we have a cinema round the corner.

I already let both kids - 7&9 - go to the toilet in the cinema on their own.

Those kids sound unusually badly behaved - my kids would just sit and watch the movie. Might chat a bit too loudly, that's all.

I think I'd be ok with them being there on their own in about a year, but with me outside in the cafe area. From 11, I think I would be fine with them being there alone.

But I think I am more relaxed than the typical Mumsnet parent

The toilet thing is a total no no

I think it depends on the child and the situation. Maybe if it was a small local cinema, the kids were the kind that would actually just curl up and watch the film quietly and they knew what to do if there was was a problem it would be OK, but even thing at that age I think only in an emergency, eg you had to do something nearby that you couldn’t bring the kids to and had no childcare options.

A bit older, like 11ish, would be fine.

Especially now we have phones? You would expect a 9 or 10 year old to have their own telephone?!

Agree this has always been a thing - remember sobbing at Watership Down aged around 6 at Saturday morning cinema.

Was super common then - dump kids, go shopping, pick up kids.

Wasn't something I did as a parents, wouldn't do it as a grandparent, especially at an age where leaving a child at home for 2 hrs would be a no go.

People saying a nine year old cant go to the toilet alone? Come on! That’s nuts. No i wouldn’t leave a young child at the cinema (dont trust them not to bugger around) but thwy can go for a pee alone surely?

And me. Would of done it aged 12, but dd not comfortable about it

PetulaGordeno This happened to my DM ,when at the cinema with my Nan in the 40s! I think leaving 2 girls alone there is very remiss and veering towards negectful .TBH Also being a nuisance with others watching the film as well

Mine was the 70’s. In the 1940’s there used to be Saturday cinema mornings for kids alone. Both my parents went.
I went to see Star Wars and it was an afternoon kids’ screening. We lived close by - there were loads of cinemas in residential areas. I was always in there even aged 7. We knew everyone in there, it always felt safe.
I would never go after that without my mum
until I was in my teens.

I dgaf what anyone thinks, my 8 DD isnt staying in the cinema without an adult and she's not going to the bathroom alone while I sit in the cinema. The most I have done is left her in the cinema theatre for five mins while I dash out to the bathroom or shop but I've asked a sitting nearby mum to keep an eye and told dd she is there for her.

Why would anyone leave their child sitting in the dark surrounded by strangers with no supervision?

Was that still a thing in the 80s? 60s in my case and an absolute free-for-all! Don’t know what the age parameters were but from memory I’d say 5-12. I only went a few times with friends, but have retained vague images of cinema staff trying in vain to manage out-of-control kids who were shouting, running round the cinema, throwing sweets etc. Most of the younger ones were there with older siblings, but my overriding memory is that it was a bit of a bear pit!

Mine won’t be allowed a phone at that age

Nope, I wait outside the loos and usually do a quick check inside to see who is there. Heard too many horror stories. There’s no way i’d let her walk out of the cinema room and to the loo’s herself

Your child, up to you.

But I don't judge it to be a total no no at the cinema we go to.

I did around 11 or maybe 12. I dropped them and her friend’s mum picked them up

It happened all the time when I was a child back in the '60s, but those were the days when usherettes would have slung you out for bad behaviour. (Mind you, I remember having to watch for boys trying to stick chewing gum in in our hair...or trying to set fire to our pony tails...Not exactly halcyon days.)

I wouldn't leave a child that age alone in the cinema nowadays, mainly for health and safety concerns for the child.