A Night at the Movies

I kind of took yesterday off.

That’s why this post is so late getting up. I, normally, post about 10pm the night before. Instead, last night, I went to the movies with some friends.

We went to see “The Avengers”. It was a very well-done movie; the audience laughed, cheered, almost booed, and even cried a bit. It was excellent, especially for those up front.

You see in the aisle across from me was a family of four. The littlest one, about 3-4 years old, talked constantly and, from about 1/2 hour or so into the 2 hour movie, he cried, yelled, and ran up and down about 10 feet of the isle. The parents told him to be quiet; he simply yelled louder and argued with them.

Going to the movies is a special treat for me

I am known for my patience; however, I do not have as much at the theater. My opinion is that the theater is a treat and, as such, should be totally enjoyed. I usually wait for the DVD or rent the download so I can enjoy it at home where it is quiet and I can pause if something happens.

I suppose what made me angriest was that the parents did not take the child out of the theater until about 7-10 minutes before it was over. By then, I was past all caring. I wanted to be done and go home. Now, I showed very little of this, so, if that is patience, then Job must’ve been my brother. However, what was going on inside my head was not so good.

I was able to quell it somewhat by reminding myself that I was not going to have another stroke over this and that I did not have that child 24/7. Funny thing was that, when I did say something, everyone said, “You know it’s not the child’s fault; it’s the parents’ fault.” Funny, because I am, usually, the one saying this.

The stroke did change me; I almost (so close) got up and walked over to the parent (Mom) and said, “if you don’t take care of him, I will tell them out front and you can deal with them, instead.” But, wiggling over there on my cane got the better of me and I stayed in my seat.

I guess my question is “Why?” Why do so many parents raise their children so that they are so “spoiled” (I guess that would be the word) that they cannot stay seated and stay quiet? I do not believe in physical punishment. Very soon into my own children’s lives I stopped all of that. I gave them choices and consequences. They learned well and still do well today.

I know there are no real manuals that come with being a parent, so they tend to do what was done to them (I didn’t); however, I still do not understand how they (parents) can take being embarrassed so badly because I am certain they know that everyone truly blames them for the situation.

I don’t believe children are “bad”; however, they can be raised poorly.

This is not so much a venting session as a worry session. I taught problem children for six years. I saw this and worse, but, in most cases (not all), I could see the behaviors in the children stemming from the behavior of the parents. My worry is that this type of behavior seems to be becoming much worse and much more predominant.

The next generation will be absolutely out of control unless…well, you fill in that blank. Thoughts? Ideas?
Glad my two are so well-behaved.
Namaste,
Scott