How to Better Enjoy the Movie-Going Experience

Everyone’s been there. You decide to have a date night at your favorite local movie theatre. You take settle down into a moderately comfortable seat after spending entirely too much money on tickets and popcorn, and something kills your mood. A baby starts screaming banshees.

We’re all entitled to see movies, as long as we can afford the ticket price. But should babies really be part of this experience? Who benefits from having very small children at the movies?

Most movie theatres do not charge for kids under the age of 2, which may entice parents into just bringing their little ones with them. Still, parents usually end up having to buy snacks to keep their kids happy enough throughout the show. This is money that parents would likely be better off spending on more important things. Things like educational toys or new clothes that their baby is constantly growing out of.

Young children usually do not even want to have the movie-going experience. They find it hard to sit through the 2 hour feature. Instead, they run around the auditorium or cry for attention. Good on the parents that curb this type of behavior. But what’s the point of making a small child go through this?

Not only do the kids probably not want to sit through a movie, but other paying guests do not want to share a theatre with a kid that does not want to be there. It completely ruins the movie and experience when a baby starts wailing in the middle of the most amazing part of the show. Even in the unlikely scenario where the parent brings the kid out of the theatre right away, the damage is already done.

And in this scenario where the kid is removed from the situation, the movie is ruined for the parent too. While the baby likely got into the show for free, the parent did not. They paid for a ticket just to have to watch their kid the whole time or have to leave early anyways. Why even bother?

Kids, especially babies, do not like when things get too loud. As a manager at my local movie theatre, I can tell you that the film companies require us to have the movies at a certain volume. Even if someone complains about the sound being so loud it’s hurting their ears, we can really only turn it down a tiny bit.

Not only do loud noises scare babies quite a bit, but they hurt their little developing ears. You’d never dream of taking your baby to a rock concert, right? Think of a movie like The Avengers or Transformers having a similar effect. There’s no reason to make a little kid suffer through that. Just wait until the movie comes out on DVD and play it at a reasonable volume in the comfort of your own home.

I know it seems more convenient for parents to just bring their baby with to date night and hope for the best. I get not wanting to add another expense by forking out money for a babysitter. You’d really rather keep Junior with you than trust someone else to care for him for a couple hours. Remember, everyone will thank you for making that smart decision though.

And think, you can actually have alone time. You don’t need to worry about changing diapers or what kind of words Junior might learn from the movie. You can focus on yourself or on each other for a short time. Imagine just letting go for two hours. How good does that feel? Isn’t that worth the babysitter hassle?

Parents are better off showing their little kids movies in the comfort of their own home, where they have more control and won’t disturb other guests. Movie-going should be enjoyable for all. Babies might not enjoy going to the show, but that doesn’t mean everyone else can’t either.