Teenager at the Kennedy Center behavior with parents

[Anonymous]

You are SUCH a better mom, OP! It is SO obvious! Thanks for bring it to our attention!!

[Anonymous]

Clearly someone with autism, OP, but I agree that this does not make it right. I'm assuming the parents are just glad to get their teen engrossed in something wholesome and not acting out too much - ie, this teen is capable of behaving much worse in other situations.

I have a teen with autism. He's high-functioning and quiet. This teen sounds more affected. I have a neighbor with a non-verbal autistic teen, one that is liable to elope, scream and hit. It's so, so, so difficult.

I'm sorry you were bothered in your enjoyment of the show. I can also guess at this family's daily challenges. There are no right answers, sometimes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Perhaps the teen was special needs.

That doesn't justify everything.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Agree that parents who don't correct this will absolutely become aggressive. I once asked a little boy to stop kicking my seat and his mother said "you go right on kicking that seat baby!" So I switched seats with a man in my party and sure enough the kicking stopped. The kids mother wasn't going to let him kick then.

+1

Bingo. Well done. Women (that mother was) are insecure, and go after other women, but won't dare to go after a male, in most cases.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Clearly someone with autism, OP, but I agree that this does not make it right. I'm assuming the parents are just glad to get their teen engrossed in something wholesome and not acting out too much - ie, this teen is capable of behaving much worse in other situations.

I have a teen with autism. He's high-functioning and quiet. This teen sounds more affected. I have a neighbor with a non-verbal autistic teen, one that is liable to elope, scream and hit. It's so, so, so difficult.

I'm sorry you were bothered in your enjoyment of the show. I can also guess at this family's daily challenges. There are no right answers, sometimes.

If your kid is likely to touch others the very least you can do is create a buffer between them and other people which sounds like it was perfectly doable in this situation. Why wouldn't the family do that?

[Anonymous]

How do you know the mother didn't say or do anything? If it were my kid I would whisper to them or quietly write them a note.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Clearly someone with autism, OP, but I agree that this does not make it right. I'm assuming the parents are just glad to get their teen engrossed in something wholesome and not acting out too much - ie, this teen is capable of behaving much worse in other situations.

I have a teen with autism. He's high-functioning and quiet. This teen sounds more affected. I have a neighbor with a non-verbal autistic teen, one that is liable to elope, scream and hit. It's so, so, so difficult.

I'm sorry you were bothered in your enjoyment of the show. I can also guess at this family's daily challenges. There are no right answers, sometimes.

I honestly don’t see how the answer wasn’t to sit the teen in between the mother and the grandmother. I can sympathize, especially as I have a niece on the spectrum. But my sister and I would sit my niece between us exactly because it is difficult and we want everyone—especially her!—to have a great time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I understand that “Frozen” is very much a kids’ show, I was there with my husband and two young daughters. But still, the tickets were expensive. I am shocked that the *teenager* sitting next to me was sitting with her legs in Lotus pose, with her knee on me/my seat until I shuffled and bumped around enough for her to stop. What did she do next? She put her feet up on the seats in front of her—and yes, those seats were occupied by two women in their 60s/70s. She finally stopped that after the women shuffled/moved their heads/finally batted behind them and hit her feet with their hands.

This was all in full view of her mother and what I presume to be her grandmother, or maybe an aunt.

The teenager was also talking and singing loudly, and that, at least, the mother put a stop to. She was also constantly fidgeting and bopping around, just a total distraction.

I was surrounded by 5, 7, 9, 10-year-olds who were all better behaved than this teenager. I can’t believe the mother was right there, not saying anything about her daughter putting her knees and her feet on other people.

Why so passive? I would have politely asked her to please stop bumping me and my seat. As to why she was doing it to begin with could be special needs, or could be a bored teen with zero discipline.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How do you know the mother didn't say or do anything? If it were my kid I would whisper to them or quietly write them a note.

Because the teenager kept doing it! Write them a note? It's the middle of a show at the Kennedy Center!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How do you know the mother didn't say or do anything? If it were my kid I would whisper to them or quietly write them a note.

Because the teenager kept doing it! Write them a note? It's the middle of a show at the Kennedy Center!

How do you not notice your kid sitting in Lotus position, and that hey if their knees are touching you, they are also touching the stranger on the other side of you! Tell me how a parent or grandparent would not notice this. They noticed it, they just chose not to pick the battle. Then tell me how they would not notice that their kid had their feet up on the seat of the people in front of them?! Turning a blind eye, making it all someone else’s problem. Not cool.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How do you know the mother didn't say or do anything? If it were my kid I would whisper to them or quietly write them a note.

Because the teenager kept doing it! Write them a note? It's the middle of a show at the Kennedy Center!

Sure, let me just dig around in my purse for a note pad and pen and write a note. Maybe I'll turn the flashlight on my phone so she can better read it too. What a great idea! Will have to remember that next time....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You could have asked herto stop disturbing you or spoken with her mother, but you were a passive aggressive a-hole. Sounds like you also behaved poorly.

Parents/grandparents who are going to totally ignore bad behavior like that are not going to be open to a productive discussion.

What about the women who had to knock someone’s feet off their head? Were they behaving “badly,” too? Nope, they were protecting their space, as they had EVERY right to do.

You can also protect your space by using your words.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You could have asked herto stop disturbing you or spoken with her mother, but you were a passive aggressive a-hole. Sounds like you also behaved poorly.

Parents/grandparents who are going to totally ignore bad behavior like that are not going to be open to a productive discussion.

What about the women who had to knock someone’s feet off their head? Were they behaving “badly,” too? Nope, they were protecting their space, as they had EVERY right to do.

You can also protect your space by using your words.

Or maybe they should have written a note! So many great ideas here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How do you know the mother didn't say or do anything? If it were my kid I would whisper to them or quietly write them a note.

Because the teenager kept doing it! Write them a note? It's the middle of a show at the Kennedy Center!

How do you not notice your kid sitting in Lotus position, and that hey if their knees are touching you, they are also touching the stranger on the other side of you! Tell me how a parent or grandparent would not notice this. They noticed it, they just chose not to pick the battle. Then tell me how they would not notice that their kid had their feet up on the seat of the people in front of them?! Turning a blind eye, making it all someone else’s problem. Not cool.

+1

Those tickets are expensive, as you know OP!

Tell an usher. If the patrons harass you, tell the usher that, also. Tape what they are doing that is offensive, so that you have a case.

If the parents are trying to make their problem, your problem, it's time they feel the repercussions of their actions.

One example: I have heard other people try to tell others (to do something that they themselves were not doing) at a show - that is harassment, and they can be kicked out for that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You could have asked herto stop disturbing you or spoken with her mother, but you were a passive aggressive a-hole. Sounds like you also behaved poorly.

Parents/grandparents who are going to totally ignore bad behavior like that are not going to be open to a productive discussion.

What about the women who had to knock someone’s feet off their head? Were they behaving “badly,” too? Nope, they were protecting their space, as they had EVERY right to do.

You can also protect your space by using your words.

Words are loud and disturb other people. Sounds like OP and the two women seated in front of the rude teen got the behavior to stop with silent actions. Kudos to them for dealing with it effectively without causing more of a disturbance for others.