A 3-year-old at Casino Royale!?

[Elf Witch]

Yes, taking a child to a movie theater is rude. I'm willing to bet, however, that virtually everyone here has been taken to a movie theater as a child. So who are you to complain, having been in that child's shoes?

Taking a child on an airplane is even ruder, but when you have a small child whose grandparents are far away, you have to occasionally do it.

Having a child is a very rude thing to do in general. They scream, they stink, and they're covered in snot. Everyone would be happier if they just weren't around to mess things up.

I find much more of a "Hey, this is my world" attitude in those who demand silence from children and hermitage from parents, than in those trying to show their kids a good time.

This is just so much BS. Taking your child on an airplane is not rude. Since there are no adult flight VS Kids flights then you can't blame parents for having to travel with a child. No one but an complete selfish person would give parents a hard time for traveling with a child.

I will admit no one really enjoys a flight with a miserable crying child not even the child parents. But sometimes flying is the only way to get somewhere.

Flying with a child is not the same as taken a child to an adult movie you don't have to see the movie you can wait until it comes out on DVD. Or you can get a sitter.

I did my time as a parent of a small child and I am sick of having my movie experience ruined by a screaming baby. I choose to see adult fims in the evening so I don't have to deal with children. And it pisses me off when a parent brings a child in and it screams or runs around and ruins my movie experience. Now if the child is quiet then I don't give a crap though I do question why a child is being exposed to material of an adult nature.

It is totally selfish of these parents who bring a small child to adult movies and to adult fancy resturants. And then sit on their butts while these children run around screaming.

I never complain about a child making noise at a family style resturant or a PG 13 film.

When my son was little I took him to one movie when he was little The Empire Strikes Back he was fine until the popcorn ran out then he was bored so I kept taking him out to the lobby. I made the decision never to put either one of us through that again and only took him to kids movies until he was old enough to sit through a movie.

it was the same at resturants he got bored quickly so we went to places like Denny's or I Hop, Pizza Hut places that got the food out fast.

The other night a friend took me out to celebrate getting a promotion we went to a very expensive french resturant. The table behind us had a family with two small children who were bored hungry and cranky. They cried threw tantrums it was bad. A table over a man had planned a romantic dinner to ask his girlfriend to marry him but these selfish parents ruined everyone's mood.

And I call them selfish because when your kids throws himself down and starts kicking and screaming you pick the child up and take him outside to your car until he settles down. That's what I used to do you don't sit there and ignore it and keep eating.

The owner of the resturant finally came over and aksed the parents to leave he had their food packed and did not charge them. And they were rude and complained all the way out.

When I was a kid my parents never took me to the movies in the evening and my brothers and I knew that when went to a resturant we had better behave otherwise we would be sitting in the car until everyone else finished.

 

[Elf Witch]

Not again...

Well, clearly our society is sliding from its formerly Lawful Good pinnacle into a Chaotic Neutral grab-fest. In the old days, law-abiding greasers used to drive their hot-rods at the legally approved speed limit. There certainly wasn't any alcohol involved. And the only gang wars involved people breaking out into song... "When you're a Jet, you're a Jet..."

Our society is sliding into chaotic selfish. People have all these entiltlement issues they feel as if they and their demonseeds can behave anyway they want to and they get upset if anyone confronts them on their or their offsprings unacceptable behavior.

 

[Infiniti2000]

My argument is that it's something I have wildly fond memories of. Going to see movies with my dad was one of the ways I connected with him. Movie-going was practically a family ritual for me. It made me appreciate not just movies, but storytelling in general. It exposed me to deeper insights than the bland garbage pushed as literature at school.

So, yes, I hope to expose my child to that sort of experience too.

That's all fine and dandy, but I fail to see how (a) Hellraiser is "storytelling", and (b) why your Dad taking you to see Hellraiser, or the Omen at the age of 3 justifies the same negligence for your children. If you didn't mean to imply this, then just say so, but you implied this is the post I previously quoted.

 

[Knightfall]

Is the film rated "R"? If so, toddlers really shouldn't be taken to see it.

Here, in Alberta, it's rating is 14A.

Alberta / NWT
Rating: 14A - Adult accomp. under 14
Advisory: Violence. Mature Theme.

 

[Simplicity]

That's all fine and dandy, but I fail to see how (a) Hellraiser is "storytelling", and (b) why your Dad taking you to see Hellraiser, or the Omen at the age of 3 justifies the same negligence for your children. If you didn't mean to imply this, then just say so, but you implied this is the post I previously quoted.

Hellraiser *is* fine storytelling. Sure the SEQUELS suck, but the original was quite good as such movies go. There's a reason it spawned a long series of sequels, and there's a reason Clive Barker is a successful author. It presented a twist on the typical religious horror films like the Exorcist. No, I didn't see Hellraiser at 3 or the Omen at 3. I didn't imply it, and I wouldn't take my 3-year-old to see such a movie. I probably wouldn't take a 10-year old to see Hellraiser just because it is such a twisted movie.

I probably saw the Omen around the age of 10 or so, but I don't really know at this point. And other than that one scene where the guy gets his head sliced off... That movie was really kind of tame compared to some of the gore in many horror movies.

As for question (b), we just share a different view of the world. What you consider negligence, I do not. You probably see no value in horror films whatsoever. That's fine, but I disagree and so does Alfred Hitchcock.

 

[Simplicity]

When my son was little I took him to one movie when he was little The Empire Strikes Back he was fine until the popcorn ran out then he was bored so I kept taking him out to the lobby. I made the decision never to put either one of us through that again and only took him to kids movies until he was old enough to sit through a movie.

it was the same at resturants he got bored quickly so we went to places like Denny's or I Hop, Pizza Hut places that got the food out fast.

The other night a friend took me out to celebrate getting a promotion we went to a very expensive french resturant. The table behind us had a family with two small children who were bored hungry and cranky. They cried threw tantrums it was bad. A table over a man had planned a romantic dinner to ask his girlfriend to marry him but these selfish parents ruined everyone's mood.

Gee, so you tried to take your kid out to the theater, and it didn't work. And that makes you morally superior how? I, at least, haven't even done it yet. Of course if your kid is causing a ruckus and disturbing the other patrons you get out of Dodge. I'm not saying be stupid about it.

I suspect, however, that the mythical parent who lets his children set fire to the theater/restaurant while they blissfully sit doesn't exist.

I was *waiting* for the restaurant example to come up, as that is yet another place children are apparently not welcome in the "societal norm". I have no sympathy whatsoever for people who whine about children in restaurants. Sorry.

 

[Ranger REG]

Not again...

Well, clearly our society is sliding from its formerly Lawful Good pinnacle...

When in the last 37 years has this society been Lawful Good?

 

[kenobi65]

I suspect, however, that the mythical parent who lets his children set fire to the theater/restaurant while they blissfully sit doesn't exist.

I was *waiting* for the restaurant example to come up, as that is yet another place children are apparently not welcome in the "societal norm". I have no sympathy whatsoever for people who whine about children in restaurants. Sorry.

You, sir, are full of . Sorry.

I've been at fancy restaurants where tired, cranky children have blown up, and their parents have done nothing but ineffectually tried to "shush" them. (Unfortunately, in more than one case, it was my friends who did the ineffectual shushing.)

Societal norms, alas, have changed. A generation ago, you simply didn't see children brought to "adult" venues (fancy restaurants, late-night movies, etc.) Parents either got babysitters, or stayed home.

What's changed is that many adults have decided that they are going to do what they want to do, and just bring the kids along.

 

[kenobi65]

When in the last 37 years has this society been Lawful Good?

Probably not in that timeframe. If you went back to the 50s, you could certainly argue that mainstream American society was LG.

 

[WmRAllen67]

I had the same experience last year at King Kong, and started a similar thread then...

I agree that there are some movies that are inappropriate to take small children to-- King Kong is not appropriate for children that are not mentally mature enough to deal with the violence, the horrific worms and bugs in the canyon, or the emotional content associated with the death of Kong at the end. If the child is a "babe in arms", if you have to keep explaining the movie or urging your child to sit and watch the movie, if your child reacts poorly to strong emotional content, then you shouldn't take them. Saw 2, Hellraiser, the new Bond-- these are not movies that I would take the nephews (3 and 5 years) to...

And, they are not movies that my brother and his wife would take their children to, either-- in fact, I don't think that the nephews have been to the movies yet-- they're not quite to the point that they can carry their involvement over that sort of timespan... when they do start to go to movies, I'm sure that for the first few years, the movies will be Curious George, Madagascar, Cars, or others like that-- movies that were produced with that audience in mind...

On the other hand, we have taken them to "fine" restaurants on family outings-- and they've been fine. In fact we had a lot of fun taking pictures of all the family with Uncle Bill's camera (and also pictures of the table, the ceiling, the salad, people's foreheads). Otherwise, they sat and ate, made friends with the waitstaff, and if they were getting a bit rambunctious, one or other of us took them out into the hotel lobby and tried out all the couches, or stood at the door of the ballroom and watched the dancers at the marriage reception... and they got to go to Nana's 70th birthday, which was important to everyone...

They go out to regular restaurants as well-- and know that if Mommy or Daddy start to count to three, then they better shape up, or they will be going out to the lobby for a "time out"...

I think the point I'm trying to make is that it is the attitude of the parents that determines the behavior of the children-- you have to make the choice to raise your spawn to be respectful and polite, and you have to make that choice every day, over and over again... that some parents are not willing, or able to commit to that sort of involvement is unfortunate, but not necessarily new...

Has personal rudeness in public increased? Perhaps, but in what way are you expecting people to act as if they were in your living room at the movie, as opposed to acting as if they were in their own? (If that makes any sense...)

Not sure where else I was going to go with this-- it's early and I need more coffee...