Dear Lady at the Movie Theater,
Did you lose your brain? Were you born without common sense? Or are you just mean enough to bring a 3-year old to The Bourne Ultimatum, a movie rated PG-13, on a warm Saturday afternoon? What? Are the parks closed by your house? Don’t you have access to a swimming pool? Did you lose the directions to the beach? Because I cannot think of a single good reason for dragging a clearly bored 3-year old to this particular movie. What do you have to say for yourself?
Well?
I’m waiting.
Nothing. That’s what I thought. You have no excuse, no reasonable answer to my questions.
When the movie was over, you high-fived the little guy, saying, “You did it!” He might not have disrupted you too much, but he sure disrupted me. Perhaps you didn’t notice him getting up from his chair and standing those two times. Maybe you didn’t hear his whispers. Maybe you weren’t horrified by the thought of your 3-year old boy’s eyes taking in the violent fighting and action sequences. But I was.
I am horrified that there are people like you in the world who bring small children into movie theaters on sunshiny Saturdays and expose them to images that are scary and inappropriate for a child’s eyes. I am horrified that you do not consider how rude it is to bring a child into a theater full of people who left their own children behind so they could enjoy a movie in peace . . . and have it be interrupted by your child. Are you familiar with the concept of a babysitter? That’s when you hire someone you trust to watch your child in your absence. Try it! You’ll like it!
Anyway, Lady in the Movie Theater, I hope you enjoyed your movie and I hope your little boy didn’t wake up with nightmares. Actually, I hope he did because that would serve you right and hopefully teach you a lesson. STOP BRINGING YOUR KID INTO MOVIES FOR ADULTS!
Sincerely,
The Lady One Seat Over Who Kept Glancing at Your Kid and Rolling Her Eyes
p.s. The movie was good, very entertaining. I also saw Rescue Dawn last week which was also excellent, toned down a little for a lower rating, I think, but an amazing story nonetheless. And last week, a lady WITH A BABY in her arms sat one seat away from me. And yes, as you can imagine, that was annoying and also very distracting. I was thankful she left mid-way through the movie. What is WRONG with people?!
Actual Unretouched Photo 
Dang! You go, girl! I hate when that happens. Moms for Peaceful Movie Viewing Unite!
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Wow, poor kid! Maybe she was a mom who desperately needed a break and thought that was her only way to get one? I know as a mom to two small kids w/ a hubby who works obscene amounts of hours a week and doesn’t know a trustworthy, available babysitter in these parts, I often daydream of being able to (gasp) actually watch a theater again someday. Though, I do agree that is quite extreme! (Was the movie any good? I love the other bourne movies….:)
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OH MY! I’m speechless. My husband thanks you. 😉
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It disgust me to think of a child at movie like “The Bourne Ultimatum”..crazy people!!! I seriously think that people like that are stupid enough to not realize how damaging it can be to a small child mind. Some people have a lot of nerve.
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I agree!! I also go one step further and say the movie theater should NOT allow children in at all. I don’t take my kids (5,7 and 19) to movies like that.
Well…..I did take my 19 year to see “Casino Royale”….
but my younger kids are G and some PG only.
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I’m always amazed by this. Often I see women bring children to chick flicks, too, with all the romance scenes. At 3 yo most children are not ready to sit through a full length kids movie much less adult flicks.
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I loved the Bourne Ultimatum! So well done…I do hope they don’t keep going because I think they’d ruin the momentum they’ve gained.
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I’d rather see a newborn baby than a 3 year old! But anything between the ages of 3 months and 4 years? NO!
But yes… it happens. I wonder if the management is allowed to kick them out? LOL.
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I have been that woman with a new born, becuase I was desperate to get out an a date when we had no one who would watch a baby and when that baby wouldn’t take anyone but me. We also sat at the back, put silicone earplugs in his tiny ears so the noise wouldn’t disturb him or damage them, and he slept in a sling and nursed for the whole movie. We stopped doing that the day he stopped sleeping through them.
I would never take a 3 year old to a grown up movie.
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This post is so unbelievable…. I agree with you that a child that age shouldn’t be at that movie, I agree that your movie going experience shouldn’t be disturbed… BUT… Where’s your kindness? and compassion? and the benefit of the doubt? Maybe she couldn’t afford a sitter… or the child is clingy…. or maybe she desperately needed an escape from reality for a while… maybe she would have taken her child to the park, but the park near her is overrun with drug addicts… maybe she lives in a horrible area where there are no facilities for the child…. directions to the beach? maybe she’s illiterate and can’t read the signs… maybe .. maybe… maybe. There are so many other possibilities of why she had her child there, but you never even stop to think about it… you condemn her for doing something ‘YOU’ think is wrong. Who are you to say what is right and wrong for her and her situation? Right and wrong for you maybe… Maybe seeing this movie is nothing compared to what that child has already seen. It seems like you are judging her by your values and your life, and maybe you should walk in her shoes for a while, and realise that your judgements are fine for you life, your circumstances, but maybe not for others. It astounds me that you are so condemning of this woman, when you have absolutely no information about her to base your judgment on – and why should you judge in the first place? Let he who is without sin cast the first stone?? If I remember correctly you were telling us all recently about your shortcomings as a parent…. hmmm
It also astounds me that you would have this kind of reaction that is so WAY over the top, all because you happen to be disturbed a LITTLE during a movie… because you don’t agree with her parenting choices.
Is God in your heart when you write this? or react like this? If this is how a religious woman acts, I’m surprised. I wouldn’t like to react to something as insignificant as this with such agression and distain, it would seem petty to me.
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that was a great movie!! but for crying out loud, a 3 year old!!! unbelievable! people just don’t get it!
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To “Surprised”, I’m, well, surprised at your reaction! Two wrongs don’t make things right, you know. There are plenty of other things that a person in any of those conditions you named could’ve done that was appropriate for a child and still allowed her to “escape from reality.” Just being with a child is often an “escape from reality”…believe me! Would you also condone bringing this child into a nightclub if that was “nothing compared to what they had already seen”? And I didn’t see this post as presenting selfishness…concern here wasn’t so much “my movie, my movie, I couldn’t watch my movie!” it was “I can’t believe a parent would bring a child to see this.” Give me a break.
On another note, one movie-going experience of mine that sticks in my mind is the “Blair Witch” original, which I saw in a theater along with 3 young ones, about 7, 5, and 2 years old. What were their parents thinking?
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Lesli-
As a mother of 3, I understand the need to excape, and perhaps you aren’t familiar with phrase, but it actually means the reality of your current life… I’m not sure that completely understand what you are implying by “Just being with a child is often an “escape from reality”…believe me! ” could you please explain further?
And also, when comparing, it is often better to compare apples with apples, not apples and semi-trailers…. an inappropriate movie is not equal to a nightclub…
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ooh ‘Rescue Dawn’ was awesome, and we got a sitter for our kids that night! Yeah I don’t understand how the parent could enjoy the movie with the kid sitting there, usually the movies are wayyy too loud, not to mention violent (bourne ultimatum sounds violent!) not to be sexist , but I could see a dad pullin that, but a mommy??? maybe she was a clueless auntie, who knows..
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I agree on the three year old, but I have to say I’ve taken my babies under one several times to a movie. I do my best to not be a distraction, and sit away from the core of the people. If I didn’t go with a babe in arms, I likely would have seen two movies at the theatre in the past seven years. We don’t have sitters that can handle all five children, one being a non-bottle fed infant (who refuses a soother). So I guess a little grace for those of us who choose to go with Baby in tow is nice. Try to realize we also need to get out of the house, and have some time with our husbands. But yes, a three year old at anything less than G is horrible. Although, my three year old wouldn’t stay still long enough anyway, so I wouldn’t even bother with a G movie.
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I’m with you. There is no good reason to bring a child to an inappropriate movie.
As a mother of three little ones whose husband travels during the work-week and doesn’t always have access to reliable babysitting, I say: just stay home. It’s that simple. Rent the movie and watch it after your kids are asleep. Was this woman desperate to get out? Probably.
Welcome to motherhood. It’s not all about you.
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“I’m with you. There is no good reason to bring a child to an inappropriate movie.
As a mother of three little ones whose husband travels during the work-week and doesn’t always have access to reliable babysitting, I say: just stay home. It’s that simple. Rent the movie and watch it after your kids are asleep. Was this woman desperate to get out? Probably.
Welcome to motherhood. It’s not all about you.”
llamamomma, are we the same person? 🙂 You said it perfectly.
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Just in case anyone was implying that I thought it was “all about me”…. You have NO idea how much I personally know that… you husband travles for work a lot? My husband asked us as a family to move to another country.. from Australia to Singapore… I’ve got no friends here, my youngest is 2, and is not in playgroup or daycare or anything, and the oldest 2 are slowly adjusting to a new way of schooling… so I hardly fit the bill of “it’s all about me”… amazing how wrong assumptions can be isn’t it…
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Get over it allready. If you were that annoyed you should have moved to another seat or asked for a refund or you could have went in to another screen and watched the same movie starting every 30 minutes. Any one of these solutions would have been better for you than just being annoyed for 2 hours. -abe
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I brought my 3 month old son to see a horror movie. He was quiet and perfect the whole time. If it is a matinée then I don’t see the issue.
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