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I like going to a movie in the theater occasionally. I have a monster home theater, but some movies I want to see on the really big screen. I just bought a house though that will give me the opportunity to build a “theater” in the basement that will be competitive with the ones I pay to visit now, but I digress...
The last time I went to the theater was a weekday afternoon. It was to see a “super Hero” movie, so some kids are expected. When the movie started there were 2 other couples in the theater aside from me. As the previews ended a group of 4 kids, and 2 adults (moms it appeared) came in, and out of all the empty seats in the place sat right behind me. From the second they sat down, it was mommy this, mommy that, mommy, mommy, mommy, what why why etc. Always during the dialog part of the movie when the plot was being worked out. I gave every hint that I could short of turning around and telling them to shut the hell up. Finally about half way through the movie, I had enough. I scooped up my popcorn, and drink, I exaggerated my actions a little so they would understand that I was pissed, and shaking my head I moved to a different, less optimum part of the theater. After I moved they actually got the hint. I didn’t hear very much from them the rest of the movie, but it still frosted me, and I so bad wanted to rip into the 2 mothers, and tell them that their little “angels” either were too young, or not trained to bring to a theater, and maybe they should try a little parenting.
I went to movies with my parents. Mom took me to some fairly mature films, The one I remember most was “Murder on the Orient Express”. I remember asking Mom, or Dad a question during the movie, and her putting her finger to her lips, and telling me she would explain AFTER the movie. She taught me 2 things that day. 1, other people wanted to watch the movie, and 2, if I shut up and watched the movie, my questions were usually answered.
Why can’t parents do that today? I don’t know. I see it in the way my daughter raises her kids. The only conclusion I can come up with is that parents today spend so much time worrying about what their kids want, they forget to give the child what they need, parenting. Parents today have been so brainwashed by all this psycho mumbo-jumbo about how their kids have to have “self esteem”, they drop the esteem stuff and it’s all self, self, self. Nothing about considering others.

I have my “theory” about kids misbehaving in settings such as you describe.

My husband and I have talked about it, and then coming to the conclusion we did, used it to help our kid learn to “behave” in similar situations.

When we were young, the place that taught us to sit still, was church. No entertainment for the young’uns during the regular church service, you went in with the adults (once you were out of the nursery...around 4 or 5) and you sat in church. Back in our day if you didn’t sit still, you were removed from the service, “disciplined” and brought back in. Kid’s in churches today sometimes don’t join the “adult” service till they’re in high school...way too late to have an impact.

P.S. I have very distinct memories of being taken out of church, given a talking to, and then going back in. Because if that didn’t work, we were taken out of the service, and given a spanking. But what I remember is because we were in Florida and the windows of the church were open (no AC in that day), my dad would put us in the car, drive us a block away and administer the spanking so as not to disturb the church service, LOL.

Never went to a movie with my parents when I was a child unless it was at the outdoor theater...which I loved. The indoor movies I went to were all with other kids about my age. But we didn't act up. This was in the late fifties and early sixties. But without adult supervision or the presence of at least a few adults, a movie house full of kids turns into something out of Lord of The Flies.

One summer in the early sixties the city officials of La Crosse, Wisconsin thought it would be a good idea to have local merchants give free tickets to kids to go down to a local movie house and watch movies in the summer. So for a while this movie house every Saturday morning had a theater full of screaming, wild little barbarians shouting, throwing popcorn, and generally behaving like the little savages they were. The manager even scolded us kids one time and shut off the sound for almost an hour during one flick. Didn't do any good. That was the last summer they passed out free tickets for kids to watch movies.

The moral of story: subteens are little barbarians who need constant adult supervision to keep them in line.