Culture

On bringing babies to the theater

Maybe this is another sign of my advancing age (I turned 40 this year), but I’m getting grumpy about my experience in movie theaters lately.

I don’t go to the theater very often. Maybe 1-2 times a quarter on average. So my sample size is small.

But the last 2 outings have been plagued by screaming babies and bored people scrolling or texting on bright phone screens.

One baby was so loud throughout the duration of the movie that I nearly got up and asked the parents to leave. I didn’t, thank goodness, but the internal battle about whether to do it left me heavily distracted from the movie I was trying to enjoy.

One of the best parts of watching in a theater vs at home is the presence of other people. There’s something great about reacting in sync with a bunch of strangers to surprise, excitement, emotion, etc.

But by far one of the worst parts of watching in a theater vs at home is the presence of other people. 

It’s a double edged sword. 

Maybe I’m old fashioned, but why are we bringing infants to movies in the theater? Why? It seems to be a bad experience for everyone involved, including the baby!

And the bored scrolling on bright screens? Idk. If you’re that bored, just leave. 

After this last experience, I felt very unlikely to go back to a movie theater anytime soon. 

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