Have you tried taking your toddler to a movie lately? I did. I haven’t done it since. I remember I took my first child to a movie for the first time when he was three. He did beautifully. Then again, he was a sitter. He didn’t even like to play on his tummy when he was a baby, rather, he liked to lay on his back and kick his feet into the air.
My daughter, on the other hand, was on the go as soon as possible. Racing here and there and everywhere—exhausting her mommy. So, why did I choose to take her to a movie at the age of two? Momentary lapse of judgment, parental insanity, denial of the obvious? Probably all three.
It was a nice day and my kids had wanted to see the new Curious George movie. Finally, I gave in. My son is five, so taking him was no problem. He got his popcorn kids meal and sat happily in his seat. My daughter, the two-year-old, started out great as well. Her little pigtails bobbed up and down as she giggled to the antics on the screen. But then it happened. The popcorn was gone. The movie began to bore her, and she started fidgeting in her seat. I knew I was doomed but tried to postpone the obvious. I tried to sit her on my lap. No such luck. She wasn’t having any of THAT. Then, without warning, she promptly rose from her seat and took off. And let me tell you, two-year-olds can run!
I was lucky to have my husband with me that day, and I admittedly let him do the running. We specifically had chosen a movie time where there were only two other families in the theatre, so we didn’t face the usual problems of keeping the kids quiet amidst a crowd. Instead, we moved to the back row, where she could walk up and down the seats at her leisure. And it worked…for awhile. Until the stairs looked more appealing, until she thought it was funny to scream.
Needless to say, my husband took her out of the theatre and I finished the movie with our son. No, I haven’t taken her to another movie since. And if I’m smart and don’t wind up with parental amnesia again, I likely won’t take her for another year or so. Best to leave the movie-going to those old enough to watch without squirming with ants in their pants. So until she’s three or so, I think we’ll stick to popcorn and videos at home, under cozy blankets in the living room.
How about you? Have you had any movie experiences with your kids?