Wow. The anti-kid movement is really gaining steam. It seems everyone is now expressing what they secretly believed for a long time: Children should be neither seen nor heard in restaurants or movies. I don’t disagree with the main sentiment that folks are expressing. I believe that children should know how to behave while in public places. And this is why I’m going to offer to my adoring blog fans, all 5 of you, my tips for training your child in a movie theater.
You may remember my previous post on how to train your kids in a restaurant. That was well received. Movie theater training works the same way. Essentially, it has to be about the kid. We all know you want to go see Harry Potter or Friends With Benefits. That Justin Timberlake is nice to look at. But that is not the movie you train your young children on. If you follow my handy tips, you’ll be able to take you child anywhere with confidence.
#1 – Start at a young age
It helps to start the training young. Take your infant to a movie. Yes! You can! Go when they normally nap. When you give them a bottle or breastfeed, they will fall off to sleep and you can enjoy the rest of the movie.
#2 – Pick a movie they will be interested in
Again, training is not the time to see a romantic comedy or a boring drama or Resident Evil. Pick a movie that your child will focus on for at least 75% of the time. Yes, go see that Care Bears movie. You may fall asleep but your child will get the experience of watching a movie in a theater.
#3 – Go to the first show of the day
There are fewer people in the movie theater during that first showing and usually there are other families with kids. You won’t get those dirty looks from other patrons if your child decides to act up.
#4 – Be ready to leave the theater if your child has a tantrum
All mom’s have the “Mom ear”. Sometimes our children’s utterances become white noise after awhile. But if your kid is acting up, don’t just sit there and ignore your screaming child. If your child is being unreasonably noisy, take them out of the theater. Let them calm down. Explain that if they cannot behave, you will leave. You have to follow through with this threat or they won’t believe any threat you make in the future.
#5 – Don’t give your child a sugary treat
You are just asking for trouble if you decide to get them a 32-oz Icee to drink with their popcorn. Bring a low-sugar treat and drink with you that will satisfy your child and keep them in their seats. Popcorn is great. It keeps their hands and mouths busy. Bring along whatever your child loves. This will make their movie theater experience a fun one that they will want to do again.
The purpose of movie theater training is to get children used to the idea of being quiet while the show is on. Get them used to the loud music and being respectful of other people around them. I can and did take my 3-year old to see Harry Potter and it was a pleasant experience for all of us. She fell asleep halfway through and it was great!
These skills take time and patience to develop. Be consistent in your message with your children. Have high expectations and then give them the opportunity to rise to those expectations. You may be surprised at the result.
Let me know if you have any additional tips you’d like to share.
Managing Motherhood 