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Babies at the Movies #atozchallenge
Monday, April 2, 2012 at 12:31PM
“Cause we fit together like a hand and glove, just to be with you is all I’m thinking of...”
“Baby” by Brandy has always been one of many songs I enjoy listening to. While this upbeat tune, about a love interest or teenage crush is cute in and of itself, the music video is even better. It makes viewers want to dance and was also age appropriate for Brandy fans and the singer herself, upon the release of her self-titled album. Now, how can we get rude parents who bring their babies to the movie theater to not only understand what age appropriate means, but also adhere to this standard of behavior or social etiquette?
If your child is under 2 years of age, why, oh why are you bringing him or her with you to see the comedy “Horrible Bosses” or the action flick, “2012?” The last time I checked, the former film is Rated-R and the latter is rated PG-13. Baby’s don’t care how funny Jennifer Aniston is nor do they care if John Cusak can save the world -- that is why Hollywood makes movies like “Shrek” and “Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked” -- to accommodate moviegoers of all ages.
Since parents are going to do what they want to do anyway, there are ways to make the thought of movies and babies in one room seem a little less annoying -- beyond the movie theater, of course.
The next time you host or attend a baby shower, play a photo guessing game that features scenes from movies about babies, parenting or kids. Here are game sheets that I made, along with an answer key that you can print out on blue paper if the baby shower is for a boy and pink, yellow or any other color you prefer if the newborn baby is set to be a girl.
Object of the game: Name the movie that corresponds with the trivia fact and photo for each number.
Grab it here...
and enjoy!
Do YOU think that babies should be admitted in movie theaters?
Also, the Monday Movie Meme may be taking a backseat to the A to Z Challenge this week while Dale at Smurfin' the Web covers one of the most famous film franchises today. So, be sure to check his "B" post out!
Reader Comments (12)
Hmm, its a tough one this, as a parent I can understand the need to still do the adult things that we did when we didnt have children, but there has to come a point when you have to make those sacrifices and leave that behind for a while. We basically stopped going out and decided that our son would take priority.
Now instead we involve him (he is now 3 and a half) in watching movies and he enjoys many styles of film. Always careful to keep the films relatively age appropriate, we are mature enough to make an informed choice about what we let him watch. He has enjoyed such films as The Three Musketeers to Time Bandits and The Goonies while still liking made for kids movies like Cars and Toy Story.
So as an answer to the question Nicole poses? my answer is - probably best to not take yor babies to the cinema unless it is a specifically organised event for mums and babies to give them a time out of sorts.
Great post Nicole, and yes I ran out of time to do the Monday Movie Meme this week, hopefully I can get back on track next time around ;-)
I'm not much of a fan of babies. I just signed on to the A-Z challenge, nearly at the last minute, but I'm trying to visit every blog at least once.
Babies shouldn't be allowed in the theater. When my kid was a baby if I couldn't find a sitter I would go. Period.
Luckily our local theater has showings specifically for parents and their children. There's nothing like not having to worry about your kid having a meltdown in a theater. It's little things like that that help parents keep their sanity ;-)
When my kids were babies we were on the road and didn't always have a baby sitter unless somebody in the show took care of our kids. We usually took our kids anyplace. Since they were accustomed to being out they were almost always very good and if they did act up, either my wife and I would immediately go outside till they calmed down. Parents with uncontrollable brats should not be seen in public.
Lee
A Few Words
An A to Z Co-host blog
I did take a three month old baby to a movie theatre once, because I was nursing, and I knew she'd sleep through it! But I don't like seeing toddlers or young kids at adult movies. Your baby shower game is a great idea, though! I'm a fellow A-Z blogger visiting.
In India children go everywhere with their families but Bollywood movies are very innocent and everyone is used to this sort of thing. Me, being a US citizen, not so used to having babies crying or talking through movies and at church.
Some theaters in the US tho' have cinema times just for parents with young children which is brilliant.
I don't think young children should be going to movies for adults. It is a bit distracting.
Babies have no business in theaters unless there is an exception--the movie is meant for kids and so on.
Thanks Nicole, for your prompt--I used it in my B-post, along with a photo prompt by Alex.
--Damyanti, Co-host A to Z Challenge April 2012
Twitter: @AprilA2Z
#atozchallenge
Dale,
I'm with you! Even though I am childless, I'm all in favor of parents still being able to have fun and do adult things without always having to lug kids around, if possible. I mean, mothers and fathers are still women and men with their own individual interests that should not have to be eliminated or sacrificed too much when a child enters the picture. I think it's all a matter of managing options and resources in a way that does not cause a nuisance to the public, especially when other people have paid to enjoy a night (or day, even) out at the movies, just like them.
I agree that special showtimes for families with children are the ideal scenario for when it's appropriate to have little kiddies at the movie theater where other adults are in attendance. Thanks for enjoying this post and I look forward to seeing what you have in store for your future turns with our Monday Movie Meme :)
Sharkbytes,
Your baby comment made me giggle. I had the same dislike when I was a teenager all the way into early adulthood. Thanks for visiting while you get up to speed on the A to Z Challenge. Better late than never as far as this year's blogging event is concerned!
Rusty Webb,
Now, I like the way you're talkin' and if more parents had common courtesy, they would think the same way! I don't mind when kids go to movies that are made for audiences their age though.
Herman,
It looks like your local theater found a way around the whole kid meltdown troubles that turn happy audiences into bitter ones. Great point about parents worrying about if or when they're kid is going to show off....it makes the movie going experience less fun for the parents as well, since meltdowns distract them from enjoying a movie because they end up placing their attention on the kid. Waste of time and money that could have very well been spent (at least half of the money, anyway) on a babysitter :)
Arlee,
Kids that know how to act civilized and children who are used to being out and about are one thing. It's those uncontrollable brats that disrupt everyone's movie theater experience. I think the latter group of kids would benefit from learning from the former group of children.
Margo Berendsen,
Nursing is a 24 hour job, it seems so if a baby has to eat, then a baby has to eat! While I can understand those demands on any parent, I still think that there are better ways to enjoy movies without risking the baby distracting other moviegoers; such as DVD rentals or attending baby-friendly theaters that have special showtimes for kids.
I second your view on toddlers attending films that are clearly geared toward older audience members. I think that parents should be fined by city officials or something, for bringing toddlers to R-Rated films or to movies that contain adult themes or related matter. I'm glad you like the movie themed baby shower game I made. If you play it with somebody...can be during a birthday celebration, etc. let me know what the results were.
50 Foot Queenie,
Cultural differences are understandable with regards to parents bringing children to public places where they wouldn't normally do so in another country that has a separate culture. Kids in India could also be very well behaved in general during movie showings or other attractions. Many in Asia, for example, tend to be more calm, cool and collected than American children the same age and that could be the result of the quality of the parenting AND culture together. If children in some parts of Asia do not typically misbehave because of how they are raised, I may be more comfortable with them being in a theater (with an appropriate film, of course) over a 5 year-old American brat any time of the day!
Damyanti,
Yep, those are my sentiments exactly, on the subject of babies at the movies. Thanks for visiting, commenting on this post and for also using my story prompt for your "B" letter post!
Well, as for "babies," I think they would, for the most part, be fine at a certain age. For one thing, if they are, like someone mentioned above, nursing infants, they will probably be quiet for most of it. I never took my babies to a movie because I was afraid they'd get too fussy, and then I'd have to step out of the theater to calm the baby down and then miss too much of the movie, which at today's movie prices would be a hardship, so I found it easier to just watch at home, and we also went to the drive-in.
On the other hand, my brother has taken both of his boys to the movies when they were infants, because as newborns, all they did was get snuggled down in the pouch and nurse, barely making a sound.
Also, children under age two are not really going to be watching the content and getting anything from the film, so I wouldn't worry about that either.
However, I would not take toddlers or preschoolers, because at that age they are aware of what's going on onscreen and it may not be appropriate, they have very short attention spans, can't sit still for a long period of time, and have no volume control. I didn't take my daughter to a theater to watch a movie until she was almost five, and then only for a family film. We did attend outdoor movies in the park for families and children's movies at the library.
I can't imagine why someone would bring a toddler to watch horrible bosses or 2012. I doubt kids that young can even understand what they're watching. Best to stick to cartoons and simple comedies at that age.
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