why allow infants at all?

[moviemuffin]

Three times in the last two months I have had a movie spoiled because some f*ckwad brought an infant in.

Ok, sucks to be me, but my question is... why do they let people bring them in at all? How can the management not see that this is a doomed situation. They can't charge for the kids... people are going to leave pissed... and it's universally understood by all functionally normal adults that babies don't belong in movie theaters.

I just can't help but wonder why they aren't just banned like pets and shoeless, shirtless folk.

Doesn't that just make sense?

[bowieee]

Originally posted by moviemuffin
Three times in the last two months I have had a movie spoiled because some f*ckwad brought an infant in.

Ok, sucks to be me, but my question is... why do they let people bring them in at all? How can the management not see that this is a doomed situation. They can't charge for the kids... people are going to leave pissed... and it's universally understood by all functionally normal adults that babies don't belong in movie theaters.

I just can't help but wonder why they aren't just banned like pets and shoeless, shirtless folk.

Doesn't that just make sense?

Makes pefect sense. I wonder the same thing....

[Lynn7]

I absolutely agree. When you go to see a Broadway show I thinkyour kid has to be at least 4 or 5 years old (which still seems yoiung, especially when you are paying $100 a ticket.)

I think if enough people complain they might change the rules. Out of sight out of mind. They might not know people are upset.I would never bring my infants to the movies out of consideration for others and if other people can't be considerate then they should make a rule banning it. Or offer baby sitting for a charge.

[Lindsey]

My most horrible experience was when this fat lady brought her baby with her, sat next to me, pulled her breast out, and started to breat feed this crying baby. This was during Super Troopers none less! I was sickened and it almost ruined my movie experience.

Please parents, please don't bring your children unless it's a fucking disney film! Hehehe...

[SubMethod]

The thing that makes me angry about these type of parents is how potentially hazardous the movie theatre could be to an infant. The infants body and ears are still very sensitive and could be damaged by the enormous amount of sound being blasted at them. It pisses me off to see a couple bring a baby into an audibly intensive movie such as The Matrix or Saving Private Ryan. I just want to go down there and smack the parents and save the baby from being put through that.

[FeverDog420]

I think there's an anti-discrimination law in California that prohibits any "no kids" policy.

[Indiana Sev]

The worst part about these uncaring people that bring infants to the movies is this...

I was at the cinema watching "Signs" last year when all of a sudden a brat somewhere in the theatre begins crying. This becomes an ongoing thing and for some inexplicable reason this (I'm guessing) mentally handicapped adult that brought this whining child there does NOTHING about it!

The person was either deaf or decided to ignore the huffing and puffing from the audience.

To be stupid enough to bring your rugrat to the film is one thing; maybe they never cause a fuss or cry, I don't know and I don't care but to stay for the remainder of the movie while your devil-infant continues it's incessant screeching is just plain EVIL!

I'm serious when I say insensitive cavepeople like this should burn in hell for their utter disregard for others.

The movie was spoiled for me but more importantly I began to lose a little more hope in mankind that day... :(

[BadCoverVersion]

I'm not trying to "big up" the UK or anything...but what the FUCK is going on with Cinema's in the US!!!???

Between all that CLAPPING and the CRYING...:confused:.

You dudes can't even find a bit of peace and quiet at the pictures...!? That's bloody sad.

SPR???

Signs???

Super Troopers???

I'm stunned.

[quoth_the_raven]

hmmmmm, well i had the same thing at X2 last week, some fuckwad brought his brat with him and the rugrat proceeded to wail off and on all night.

other than that, i dont ever remember it happening before...

[Doc Holliday]

I have 2 rugrats of my own.....

And I completely agree with all the posts here. Keep you kids at home. My oldest is 3 and youngest is 9 months. My three year old goes to movies aimed at 3 year olds (DIsney, animation), and my nine month old STAYS AT HOME.

I love movies and know how much others enjoy escaping their pathetic lives (maybe I am the only one doing that....not pointing any fingers) and like to see a movie. I don't like having that ruined by a damn crying kid. I have had that happen at several movies....Gangs of New York, National Security (really didn't ruin the movie, it was ruined to begin with), Road to Perdition, and several others.

Please have enough respect for those in the theater, leave your kid at home. Hire a babysitter. DO SOMETHING....just don't bring them in and ruin the movie for other people!

[James Logan]

Nothing more to say except I agree. Kids, eventually (depends of the type of movie, the type of kids, the type of parents). But babies? They're like cell phones, they never shut up and keep quiet. They forbid cell phones, they can forbid infants.

[Voodoodoll]

I can't say I've ever had it happen, but I'd be really pissed off if it had. Poor babies! It's kinda cruel making them sit through something that noisy; some parents are morons :(

[syxxpac]

I've had similar experiences like this, such as a dumbshit little kid who kept yakking to his mother about useless bullshit in Spider-man.

However, some of the stories in here have made my jaw drop to the floor. I swear I'd turn into the Hulk if I ever had to go through some of the same shit, especially Sev's Signs story.

[Jon Lyrik]

Anyone who brings a kid under 4 to see movies like LOTR or X-Men II or any other loud movie of similiar ilk deserves to be kicked ou of the theater. Literally.

[Justin Harris]

The common defense to people who have children would be... Do you have children.

No, I don't.

However, I asked my mother if she had ever brought me to the theatres when I was younger. No, she said. Only to the drive-thru (which shut down years ago).

If you can't get a baby-sitter, that's too fucking bad. Wait for DVD and let me enjoy my movie. Unless it's a kids film--you're being an idiot.

Like the three sets of parents who brought their newborns to that loud, shit film XXX. They were real smart.

[Bassgod]

LET PEOPLE DO WHAT THEY WANT! SCREW LAWS AND LIMITS! LET PEOPLE BRING INFANTS, PETS, AND WHOEVER ELSE THEY LIKE ANYWHERE! I hate people like you, who say otherwise.

[countchocula]

Originally posted by Doc Holliday
I love movies and know how much others enjoy escaping their pathetic lives (maybe I am the only one doing that....not pointing any fingers)

You're not the only one. I rarely go to the local multiplex, but film in itself is definitely a divine form of escapism.

Regarding the topic at hand, squealing infants haven't sabotaged many of my viewing experiences, but I empathize. They've sabotaged just about every other experience I've had in a public environment (grocery stores, restaurants, etc.). Don't just ban infants from theaters; ban infants from the outdoors period!

[JoBlo]

Originally posted by Bassgod
LET PEOPLE DO WHAT THEY WANT! SCREW LAWS AND LIMITS! LET PEOPLE BRING INFANTS, PETS, AND WHOEVER ELSE THEY LIKE ANYWHERE! I hate people like you, who say otherwise.

Bassgod, please re-read the RULES AND GUIDELINES (http://www.joblo.com/rules.htm) of our board and note rules number 1 and 2 about RESPECTING your fellow poster. The discussion board is FILLED with debates and disagreements, but we ask that everyone keep things civil and constructive at all times ("...I hate people like you...").

[Paterfamilias]

I agree with most of the above posts. I have two children, 3 yrs, and 1 yr. They do not come to the movies with me. It is very distracting to hear children crying, etc.

What's worse than infants, to me, is when there are like, 5-8 yr olds in very R rated movies. This happens way more than I can believe. I remember seeing General's Daughter and this kid is sitting there sobbing and his "father" is just telling him him to be quiet. I mean for fuck's sake, there is a rape scene in that movie. I could not concentrate on the movie, I felt so bad for that kid.

The worst one ever was when I went to see "Baby Boy" You'd think it was a Disney movie there were so many kids there. Unbelievable!!

[JustinKing665]

I think we should just ban people from having children to begin with. Children are like cows, they are only good for eating.

[electriclite]

Someone just got finished reading Swift?;)

[quoth_the_raven]

Originally posted by electriclite
Someone just got finished reading Swift?;)


damn you got there with that one before me ;)

i remember reading that. they made us write satires afterwards and i think i scored a top A with mine. must be my world view (it was on my slight problem with the sheer number of boybands as i remember- i dont mind one or two, but a new one every 3 days (it felt like it) was a bit much. hence a fairly messy solution, which was gonna be PPV televised i think...damn i will have to dig that out)

ahh the good old days...

[The Postmaster General]

I've seen babies be quiet through movies, but no, I'd never take my kid into a theater.

Unless we were in Dallas and hiding out.

[Lady Summerisle]

I think we should just ban people from having children to begin with. Children are like cows, they are only good for eating.


That would be suitable and reduce the headache ratio in the beleaguered audience who is trying to enjoy the film before their eyes.
;)


Children can be taken to a Drive In, where cries can be muffled by rolling up the window.
Actual films where a plot or disturbing scenes are going on, leave it to children who can handle it (i.e. over 4 years old).Not screaming infants.

[moviemuffin]

Don't get me wrong. I'm not anti-kid. I have four.

I NEVER took any of them to the movies when they were infants. And I see between two and four movies a week on average (I write reviews).

This isn't just about the other theater goers. Kids, even infants, absorb everything. They are little sponges. So seeing somebody with a little one shoved into a carrier and left on a filthy movie hall floor while screams/loud music/carnage/sex take place above them... that's abuse.

If the department of youth services found out you had sex and allowed drug use, promiscuous sex, or loud music to go on in the same room with your newborn child, they would take custody.

To a child in a movie theater, where the same things are taking place on the screen, there is absolutely no difference.

Babies flinch when people shout at eachother in front of them. Yet I saw a child no older than 6 months in a carrier on the floor at A Man Apart.

His mother should be locked up.

[quoth_the_raven]

i think i take a tranq gun to movies from now on. if any kid screams, its gonna be itsy bitsy nappy-wappy sleep time...

:D:D

[moviemuffin]

Originally posted by quoth_the_raven
itsy bitsy nappy-wappy sleep time...


Maybe I'm overtired, but that made me do a spit-take with my tea.

:p

[Grebdron]

It's an old argument, but how can they let just anybody have children, but you need to pass a test to drive a car? Fucking simpletons. It's too easy to get pregnant.

[quoth_the_raven]

Originally posted by moviemuffin
Maybe I'm overtired, but that made me do a spit-take with my tea.

:p



what in the name of zeus' butthole is a spit-take? it sounds pornographic...

i am guessing you mean spitting your tea out right?

in england, we call that spitting out our tea

*nods*

i think its time for my itsy bitsy nappy wappy sleep time now

:D:D

[thisismyboomstick]

I agree with the no babies policy. I worked at a movie theater in Irvine California for two years and there were many people who complained about that. What moron brings a two year old to a movie like HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL anyway? I worked in the box office and I would try to warn these parental units who would come in with their kids to see these horror movies and other intense films, but they would never listen. 30 minutes later they would often come back with their screaming child wanting their money back mad at us (for some unknown reason) after the fact I warned them.

It's not only the crying babies thing that pisses me off to no end, it's these assholes who bring in laser pointers and start flashing them on the screen like they're cool or something. I just feel like freakin castrating these dorks.

Then we have the teens/adults who decide to talk during a film. If you want to talk...go somewhere else. Why pay $8 to sit in a dark room surrounded by strangers who are TRYING to enjoy a film and ruin their enjoyment by blabing on and on about crap.

Cell phones. Ooooooooo! I hate these people almost as much as laser pointers. If you forget to turn it off that's one thing. Get up, walk out of the theater, answer it, turn it off, and return. DON'T SIT IN THE THEATER AND TALK ON THE PHONE THROUGH THE ENTIRE MOVIE! I almost got fired from the theater one day because some mook was talking on his phone for a good twenty minutes, so I ripped the phone from his hands (after I told him to get out or get off it twice) and told him he could pick it up at the box office after the film. There was a heated discussion between me, him, and my managers. In the end he swore he would never return to our theater, but I ended up selling him tickets to a film about a month later.

While working at the box office I was talked to many times by my manager for giving my honest opionion about films. Someone would ask about a movie and I would honestly tell them if I thought it was good or not and then tell them what movies I felt were good. My manager would get pissed with me each time I did this telling me I couldn't say a movie was bad. I asked why and he said "what if someone from the movie studio was here?" to which I replied "I would tell them to make better movies, instead of putting out crap." My customers, a large percentage of the time, were always happy and would often come back thanking me for suggesting the film they ended up seeing. (I had quit a few disatisfied customers come back and complain for suggesting AMERICAN BEAUTY and TALENTED MR RIPLEY) It's not like I turned these people away and we didn't see their business at all, I still sold them a ticket and they were happy customers. I treated them the way I would want to be treated, not like cattle. I never listen to the rantings of my manager for being to honest and continued with the way I did business.

I don't think theaters actually care about the customers, they just want your money.

[greeny]

I work in a movie theater in New Zealand. Now while most films here tend to be rated M (Meaning 'mature' which has a recommended age on it but nothing we have to ID for, so infants can go to these movies), the ones that are rated R mean just that.

You cannot legally take an infant to these films.

We also have 'Spit The Dummy' sessions... A film is played, at a lower volume, with the lights on dim, with a nappy changing station inside the theater. These sessions are very popular and pretty much every theater in our city holds them on a weekly basis. The tickets are dramatically cheaper then your average session ($6.50 instead of $13 and kids under 5 free) which incourages parents to go to the sessions meant to have babys in them, instead of to the sold out 8.30 Friday night sessions, where everyone's gunna get annoyed.

So my advice? Tell your governments that R means R and ask your local theaters to hold these sessions, they won't be popular at first, but after 6 months, our weekly sessions are selling about 25% on a Wednesday morning!

And in the end, if it gets these screaming brats out of YOUR sessions, what have you got to loose?:)

[quoth_the_raven]

Originally posted by thisismyboomstick


It's not only the crying babies thing that pisses me off to no end, it's these assholes who bring in laser pointers and start flashing them on the screen like they're cool or something. I just feel like freakin castrating these dorks.




dont bring that one. someone did that for entirety of Blade 2. it really ruined the film for me, as i spent most of the film looking round to find out who the hell it was. i tracked em down at the end of the film and remonstrated with them. damn near got into a fight...

fucking assholes...inconsiderate pricks. call them what you will..


my ideal cinema would have 4 seats...1 for me and upto three guests :D:D

[thisismyboomstick]

There was a movie theater in Louisiana that had a closed in space in the back of the theater for parents to take their babies into. It was rather nice because you couldn't hear anything that was going on in that room. Unfortuanatly that theater closed down. It's an idea for other theaters to look into.

[zaze]

They should have showing for people to bring kids. The fact that they don't shows how much disregard the US has for kids and for parents of kids. No support or concern. A board that reprimands someone for saying "I hate people like this" but allows another person to say he would like to shoot a kid with a dart is a perfect example of this.

Those of you who are so flippant and hateful about children are just immature and will probably grow up some day, more pity for you if you are actually adults and still feel like this. If you have ever stayed at home for many years being the primary caretaker of a child you would see that it would be nice to be able to go out to a movie. I've taken my baby to matinees that aren't crowded and she has slept through the movie, that I've enjoyed. If she woke up and made any noise that disturbed anyone I would leave. To bash all parents as if they are all annoying is just stupid. Every group of people has members who have no regard for others, and this thread is evidence of that.

As far as banning children from all R movies, it is up to the parents to decide what they want their children to see. My mom took me to see an R rated movie when I was 10, and the ticket seller tried to tell her she couldn't - to which she replied, "you can't tell me what she can and can't see - you are not her parent". The movie was Slaughterhouse 5, and I really enjoyed it, I had already read the book. It had violence, but so do a lot of fairy tales, and it had naked breasts, but I had already seen those, too.

As far as the noise level goes, it is too loud for everyone, not just kids. If it will damage their ears, it is damaging yours too. I usually put my hand over her ear while she sleeps on my lap, and if you didn't see us, you'd never know we where there.

[moviemuffin]

Infants have much more delicate and easily damaged ear drums than the rest of us. They are also seriously impacted by sounds of terror, anger, and even tense dialogue. This is not theory, by the way, it's biologically factual.

I've got four kids, incidentally. None of my children were in a movie theater before they were old enough to form complete sentences and understand at least a part of what they were seeing. They saw G-rated films only until they were old enough to handle more.

This issue is much more about the safety of the infants than it is about the inconvenience they cause. The inconvenience is just a by-product.

Seriously, no offense, but if you are taking an infant to the movies, talk to your pediatrician. Don't take my word for it.

For anyone else who is interested, there is an actual online petition:

http://www.petitiononline.com/nosprogs/

[Jon Lyrik]

Infants/very small children shouldn't be taken to non-kiddie flicks.

I'm not in favor of keeping all kids from the theaters, though. Just any kid under 5 should be kept out, with some exceptions (ie: movies aimed at people of that age). To kick out all kids under 13 is ludicrous, though.

[SIREN30]

Originally posted by SubMethod
The thing that makes me angry about these type of parents is how potentially hazardous the movie theatre could be to an infant. The infants body and ears are still very sensitive and could be damaged by the enormous amount of sound being blasted at them. It pisses me off to see a couple bring a baby into an audibly intensive movie such as The Matrix or Saving Private Ryan. I just want to go down there and smack the parents and save the baby from being put through that.

THank you Submethod for making your reason a loving one of concern instead of just a bitch-fest about being annoyed by a crying baby. I agree w/ you wholeheartedly. It's hard for me to cuss and be insulting about a parent bringing an infant into a theater simply because it's inconvenient for me. I happen to find teenagers MUCH more annoying actually. And I also happen to think that if you pay to see a movie in a public theater, you are also paying for the annoyances that come with that (like loud chomping, talking, cellphone use, and making out). So babies really are not that obnoxious to me, especially since I am a parent myself and I know that babies are not INTENTIONALLY making the noises you hear.

However, one of my pet peeves is a parent who has so little concern for their infant that they will subject them to violence at ear splitting decibels just because they don't want to 'miss out' on the movie going experience. For God's sake GET A BABYSITTER! I didnt take my son to a movie until he was over 2 and even then I gave him earplugs to put in when he felt like he was being overwhelemd. And I also made sure the content of the film was suitable for children.

Anyway, that's my two cents.:cool:

[zaze]

Did you miss the part where I wrote that I cover her ears during loud noises? I don't tend to take her to violent action movies, that are loud and unpleasant, they aren't the movies I am interested in anyway. She is not disturbed by unpleasant language because she is asleep - I know if she is disturbed, and if she were I would take her out.

I agree with your main point that many children do not need to be going to the movies they are going to. When they are running around, making noise, or being disturbed by dialogue and action that is too violent or mature then the parents should not have them there. I am just trying to point out that an infant is not always a problem, because I have taken her several times and we have not disturbed any one, nor has she suffered in any way.

The issue of the damage that the level of sound can cause is interesting, because it is not just a problem for children, it is damaging your ears too. Here are some interesting links:

http://www.filmsound.org/randythom/loud-movies.htm
http://www.youth.hear-it.org/page.dsp?forside=yes&area=524
http://www.hei.org/news/factshts/nihlfact.htm

If you go to a lot of movies you might want to take some ears plugs to protect your ears.

As to the question of what subject matter is appropriate for young children, I wonder if any of you have read Grimm's fairy tales? Some amazingly scary and violent stuff there. Children are people too, and deal with unpleasant things in their own way. My mom let me see and read what ever I was interested in. She did not drag me to movies that were violent and stupid, but I was allowed to go to movies that some people considered inappropriate for children. They were appropriate for me, however. Maybe not all kids would have enjoyed Franco Zeferelli's Romeo and Juliet, but I loved it, even though it had nudity and violence. That she took the time to include me in her love of movies and books was wonderful, and is one of the reasons I loved movies then and now.

Some movies are so crude and violent I can't imagine anyone enjoying them, adults or children. Parents need to use their own judgement, and respect both their own children and other movie goers. And a petition to create special show times for kids and parents would be more likely to get results than one banning all kids. Theater owners only care about the bottom line and will do whatever fills seats and sells popcorn.

[SIREN30]

Originally posted by zaze
Did you miss the part where I wrote that I cover her ears during loud noises? I don't tend to take her to violent action movies, that are loud and unpleasant, they aren't the movies I am interested in anyway. She is not disturbed by unpleasant language because she is asleep - I know if she is disturbed, and if she were I would take her out.

I agree with your main point that many children do not need to be going to the movies they are going to. When they are running around, making noise, or being disturbed by dialogue and action that is too violent or mature then the parents should not have them there. I am just trying to point out that an infant is not always a problem, because I have taken her several times and we have not disturbed any one, nor has she suffered in any way.

The issue of the damage that the level of sound can cause is interesting, because it is not just a problem for children, it is damaging your ears too. Here are some interesting links:

http://www.filmsound.org/randythom/loud-movies.htm
http://www.youth.hear-it.org/page.dsp?forside=yes&area=524
http://www.hei.org/news/factshts/nihlfact.htm

If you go to a lot of movies you might want to take some ears plugs to protect your ears.

As to the question of what subject matter is appropriate for young children, I wonder if any of you have read Grimm's fairy tales? Some amazingly scary and violent stuff there. Children are people too, and deal with unpleasant things in their own way. My mom let me see and read what ever I was interested in. She did not drag me to movies that were violent and stupid, but I was allowed to go to movies that some people considered inappropriate for children. They were appropriate for me, however. Maybe not all kids would have enjoyed Franco Zeferelli's Romeo and Juliet, but I loved it, even though it had nudity and violence. That she took the time to include me in her love of movies and books was wonderful, and is one of the reasons I loved movies then and now.

Some movies are so crude and violent I can't imagine anyone enjoying them, adults or children. Parents need to use their own judgement, and respect both their own children and other movie goers. And a petition to create special show times for kids and parents would be more likely to get results than one banning all kids. Theater owners only care about the bottom line and will do whatever fills seats and sells popcorn.

Grimms fairy tales are awful. Especially Cinderella where the step sisters cut off portions of their feet to fit them into the glass slipper...yuck.

I never take my child to anything that I question and I usually avoid R rated movies myself simply because I have a hangup with my conscience about what subject matter is beneficial for me to see as an adult. I go to see bands play at clubs and I love the movie theater so my ears have certainly suffered irreperable harm...oh well. But my child is old enough to tell me when his ears hurt due to volume.....thus, the earplugs.

Each parent must make their own choice but the above message was my two cents based on my personal feelings on the subject.

[zaze]

This article, by a pediatrician I generally agree with, shows the problem with trying to keep kids from being disturbed by movies. It suggests a rating to let parents know what movies are appropriate for kids under 6, but even those movies it would allow are filled with potentially traumatic material. Parents have to know how their own, individual child will deal with scary things, and help them deal with things that scare them effectively.


Rating Kids’ Movies

A suggested rating system for kids under 6

By Jennifer Parris



What exactly does a G rating tell you about a movie’s content? Not enough, says Jackie Sears, a Southampton, MA, mother of three. After her then 3-year-old daughter was terrified by scenes in a G-rated kid’s film, Sears gathered more than 6,000 signatures to urge the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) to create a more specific rating, G-6 (unsuitable for children under age 6).

While the MPAA identifies a G rating as meaning "minimum violence," Sears, for one, doesn’t buy it: "I don’t consider one cartoon character stabbing another ’minimum violence.’"

Some experts agree. "Seeing is believing for young children, and a lot of G-rated movies are really scary to them," says Joanne Cantor, Ph.D., author of Mommy, I’m Scared: How TV and Movies Frighten Children and What We Can Do to Protect Them.

Some popular G-rated movies that Cantor and Sears recommend for a G-6 rating:

* The Wizard of Oz (MGM, 1939): It’s got falling houses, evil flying monkeys, and tornadoes. The Wicked Witch of the West sets the Scarecrow on fire and later gets melted.

* The Lion King (Disney, 1994): King Mufasa is pushed over a cliff by his evil brother, Scar, and then crushed by a stampede.

* Hunchback of Notre Dame (Disney, 1996): Gruesome images include an attempt to burn Esmeralda at the stake, the killing of gypsies, and the abuse of a disabled man.

* Anastasia (20th Century Fox, 1997): Anastasia jumps off a speeding train just before it plummets to the ground and explodes. Body parts fly off of the villain at various times.

While an MPAA spokesperson says that the G-6 proposal is being considered, he adds that it isn’t clear that it’s warranted. So for now, parents will have to rely on those most knowledgeable about their kids_— themselves.

http://www.parenting.com/parenting/article/article_general/0,8266,2302,00.html

[zaze]

Posted at the same time you did!

I agree many children can't deal with scary stuff and shouldn't be exposed to it, but as a kid, I loved Grimm's, and other scary stuff, and dealt with it just fine. I also liked the Planet of the Apes, and used to read Alfred Hitchcock's short story collection which were full of murders. Maybe I was a funny kid, but kids are individuals and people too, and shouldn't be banned from public places.

[SIREN30]

I agree that they shouldnt be banned and it does irk me that some people on this board are so negative about children in the theater when intentional nuisances like cellphone users and obnoxious teens are, in my opinion, the real problem.

I think I just want theaters to start posting a warning at the box office that infants have been only subjected to insulated noise while they were in the womb and that the decibel levels in a movie theater are probably too intense for babies. Maybe I would be happy as long as attention of some kind is paid to this potential hazard!:mad: :p

[moviemuffin]

I don't (honestly) want to get into a pissing match here, but since you asked...

Did you miss the part where I wrote that I cover her ears during loud noises? I don't tend to take her to violent action movies, that are loud and unpleasant, they aren't the movies I am interested in anyway. She is not disturbed by unpleasant language because she is asleep - I know if she is disturbed, and if she were I would take her out.

Covering her ears won't do it. Seriously, the sound, if it is there, is going to penetrate. And if you have to cover her ears what in the world is she doing there to begin with?


I am just trying to point out that an infant is not always a problem, because I have taken her several times and we have not disturbed any one, nor has she suffered in any way.

But as a parent, I KNOW that the infant may be a problem at any second, and I have no way of knowing when, or to what degree. And as a parent I know an infant doesn't belong in this setting. I would not take my infant child to a LOT of places, the movies is one example.


The issue of the damage that the level of sound can cause is interesting, because it is not just a problem for children...

We're talking about much more serious damage, though, and we're talking about when it becomes borderline child abuse. An adult, even an older child, can withstand A LOT more than an infant.

As to the question of what subject matter is appropriate for young children, I wonder if any of you have read Grimm's fairy tales?

I was never really talking about content. I argued (with support from the medical and psychological community, I might add) that very young children do absorb sounds of argument, anger, violence, etc. But truthfully it would not matter to me what was on teh screen. An infant can't understand a movie. An infant may be bothered by the movie. The chairs and floors of a movie theater are neither safe nor designed for a car seat. Infants don't belong in movie theaters. Ever.

I guess we just strongly disagree.

I actually was bothered enough by this to write a letter to Dr. Timothy Johnson asking for his input. I want to know the specifics, to be honest. I can't imagine anyone is doing it with the intention of harming their child. My problem is I genuinely believe they are. That's not meant to start a big debate, it's just that I can't see how one gets around the facts.

[SIREN30]

Eloquently put, moviemuffin....

[zaze]

Covering her ears won't do it. Seriously, the sound, if it is there, is going to penetrate. And if you have to cover her ears what in the world is she doing there to begin with?

If covering her ears won't do it, then why do they recommend earplugs, isn't a physical barrier effective to stopping soundwaves or do you know something about physics that I don't? And I don't take her to loud action movies with relentless noise, if the sound gets higher than I am comfortable with I cover her ear (the other is covered on my lap, as when I have done this she was asleep). She is happily asleep on my lap as I enjoy the movie, that is what she is doing there.



But as a parent, I KNOW that the infant may be a problem at any second, and I have no way of knowing when, or to what degree. And as a parent I know an infant doesn't belong in this setting. I would not take my infant child to a LOT of places, the movies is one example.

You are the parent to your kids, so you know they may cause a problem for others, I know she hasn't caused a problem and if she did, then I would leave. Different kids are likely to cause a problem in different situations. Do you support banning children from all public place, like one previous poster, just to avoid any sensitive child free types from being offended by the sight or sound of them?


We're talking about much more serious damage, though, and we're talking about when it becomes borderline child abuse. An adult, even an older child, can withstand A LOT more than an infant.

Studies? BTW, do you wear earplugs to the movies, if you are so concerned?

I was never really talking about content. I argued (with support from the medical and psychological community, I might add) that very young children do absorb sounds of argument, anger, violence, etc. But truthfully it would not matter to me what was on teh screen. An infant can't understand a movie. An infant may be bothered by the movie. The chairs and floors of a movie theater are neither safe nor designed for a car seat. Infants don't belong in movie theaters. Ever.


My lap is a great place for an infant.


I guess we just strongly disagree.

I agree with this.

[SIREN30]

I don't think this thread was supposed to get so personal...gheesh.

All the baby-bashing kind of put me on edge, I'll admit, but since none of you people know me or my precious child, I really can't take it personally. And like I said, I agree that infants (I'm not so opinionated about toddlers) may not be able to handle the volume comfortably.

Zaze, I can understand how defensive moviemuffin's post made you but as a mother, I can understand both viewpoints. Both of you are mothers and where your children are concerned, you are God. No one w/ omnipotence wants to be told that they are inept at determining what is best for their charge. So there is NO right or wrong here. Moviemuffin has legitimate points but you also are certain your child benefits from the decisions you make for her. No one can determine that but you.

So please, try to be nice. In the words of Victoria Williams, "Be Sweet. Be Free. Every day is poetry.";)

[moviemuffin]

They titled this section RANT, RANT, RANT so people could rant.

I have mentioned a few times I'm not anti-infant. It's definitely not the infant's fault.

Saying "no offense" and "just my opinion" is the best I can do. It definitely WASN'T supposed to get personal. It's a rant.

I certainly didn't take anything personal.

[zaze]

I suppose I am kind of defensive, because I don't like the idea of a bunch of strangers judging me for being somewhere with my baby. Moviemuffin's comments are based on reasonable concern, and not offensive to me, but some of the other posters are way out of line.

I do like the opportunity to present my side, because you can't defend yourself against the sort of silent judgement you might get for this, nasty looks and muttered comments, etc. And I like to present another point of view, because some of our attitudes toward children and parents are really screwy. Some kids and their parents are annoying and rude, some are not, and the same could be said for any age group. Do we want to judge an entire group by the most obnoxious individuals in it?

As a society we seem to want to pack kids away so we don't have to deal with them - so we can be free of them. This is kind of sad. Kids belong with their parents, and having kids isn't the end of your life. It seems strange to me that someone would want kids banned from seeing "Spiderman" in the theater - it was such a childish movie. It almost seems like adults want to be children sometimes, and actual children keep them from enjoying themselves. No offense to anyone, but this is my Rant. It seems to me that finding kids intolerable is a sign of immaturity.