To the lady at the table behind us at dinner last night: yes, I did give you an icy-cold death stare. Your baby screamed the entire time we were at dinner. It was not "fussing," it was screaming. And as much as you may have wanted a nice dinner out, so did every other diner and the restaurant and they were deprived of this opportunity because of your selfishness. Not to mention that your child was tired or hungry or otherwise ailed, and simply did not want to be there.
I understand that it may have been a long time since you have gone out to dinner. But that is one of the consequences of having children. Believe me, I have missed my share of hot meals, dinners out, movies, concerts and theater productions, because I had young children. And I have had to leave restaurants and church and shopping malls because I had babies who were uncooperative. It's no fun to have your meal wrapped up to take home, but that is what you do when your child is screaming at the top of her lungs. And now that my children are old enough to leave the house and act like civilized human beings, I really don't want to listen to your child scream. I've suffered through years of missing out on fun things because of my children--now its your turn. It won't last forever (unless you're the Duggar Family). Suck it up and realize that the world does not revolve around you and your adorable little bundle of screams.
To the lady who attempted to bring her one-year old to the theater last night: A one-year old is never, ever, ever going to sit through a theater production. One-year olds like to talk and play. They do not like to sit still for three hours and watch adults sing and dance on a stage 50 feet away. At least you figured this out early on and removed your child. But really...you're not going to be able to go to the theater for years unless you get a babysitter. Just save yourself the cost of the tickets and rent a DVD.
To the the adults who kept entering and leaving the theater in the middle of the show last night: unacceptable. I didn't let my 9-year olds leave in the middle of the act to go to the bathroom, but it is hard to explain that this is poor theater etiquette there were so many adults coming in and out. (It later appeared that these adults were the parents of children who had a very short spot at the end of the second act--which seems even more appalling to me. If you kid is in the show, you should know how an audience member should behave.)
To the adults who left candy wrappers in the floor of the theater: Disgusting. This is not a movie theater. Food is not even allowed in. How hard is it to pick up your own trash?
4 comments:
I am so there with you. I hate rude people in public. If your kid screams in a restaurant, take the kid out immediately, no matter what the age. Hell, if anyone at your table is screaming, they need to step out. If you can't get the kid to stop screaming outside, you need to take your food to go.
I can't imagine taking a 1 yr old to the theater. Then again, I guess some people are badly behaved at any age. When I took Cora to the ballet last month, she sat there watching quietly for the entire performance and I never had to take her out. I had planned accordingly, and got an aisle seat in the back, just in case we had to make a quick escape, but we never did. The group of teenagers in front of us (probably about 17 or 18 years old), wouldn't sit still and talked during the entire second half of the performance. One's father was even with them, and he didn't bother to shush them until it got so bad I was about ready to smack them all on the back of the heads, starting with Dad.
I'm right there with you. Our daughter is thankfully good at restaurants, so we haven't had to leave -- yet. I'm sure it will happen eventually and one of us will step out if it is easily quietable or we will leave if it is a full blown melt down.
Even when I bring my daughter to the movies, always the first showing/before 4pm, I will get up at the slightest peep. She is usually just so enamored with the loud noise and bright lights that it will keep her entertained. I couldn't even imagine being able to concentrate on what was going on while also worrying about the baby crying!
yes Yes YES to all of this. Yes x 1000. I feel I have the right to glare at people being ridiculously rude with their young kids because I HAVE young kids and I don't do it. I hope you were able to enjoy your night out to some degree, but I hate it when other people's rudeness interferes. Not only does it interrupt, but it makes me so annoyed that it decreases my enjoyment going forward!
OMG, yes. I can't believe how atrociously people behave at the opera (and that is infinitely better than regular theater).
Recently we've been dealing with obnoxious/oblivious new moms and yes, I get that you're sleep deprived and all, but you know what? Don't go into public!
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