Teenager at the Kennedy Center behavior with parents

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Perhaps the teen was special needs.

Not OP. Then the child should have been sitting in between the adults.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Perhaps the teen was special needs.

Then the teen should have been seated between the two adults who were with her. Full stop.

+1

[Anonymous]

I think Frozen attracts a larger audience, including those who don't frequent concert hall or theater shows and don't know how to behave. We had a couple next to us (at a similar show) sing along. As funny as it was, they were not as good as the actors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think Frozen attracts a larger audience, including those who don't frequent concert hall or theater shows and don't know how to behave. We had a couple next to us (at a similar show) sing along. As funny as it was, they were not as good as the actors.

When I saw “Wicked” with my cousin, I had to pointedly tell her that no one in our area had paid $80 to listen to HER sing. Honestly, I have been to all sorts of concerts, shows and events all over the world, and I’ve seen many young children behave better than what you are describing and what OP described.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You were so passive-aggressive. Why not just say to her "Please get off my body." Say it as a statement or a directive, not a plea.

But OP got the kid off her body without making a huge scene. Why is being loud better?

I didn’t say I would say it loudly. There’s no reason why saying a five word sentence like the one I suggested should cause a “huge scene “.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You were so passive-aggressive. Why not just say to her "Please get off my body." Say it as a statement or a directive, not a plea.

But OP got the kid off her body without making a huge scene. Why is being loud better?

I didn’t say I would say it loudly. There’s no reason why saying a five word sentence like the one I suggested should cause a “huge scene “.

Why use words at all? People will hear you. it will he a distraction. If i had to use words i might have just said “no” and removed the leg from my personal space. But OP bumped the leg off. Words aren’t always needed or better. Gestures, looks, and moving your own body work too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You were so passive-aggressive. Why not just say to her "Please get off my body." Say it as a statement or a directive, not a plea.

But OP got the kid off her body without making a huge scene. Why is being loud better?

I didn’t say I would say it loudly. There’s no reason why saying a five word sentence like the one I suggested should cause a “huge scene “.

Why use words at all? People will hear you. it will he a distraction. If i had to use words i might have just said “no” and removed the leg from my personal space. But OP bumped the leg off. Words aren’t always needed or better. Gestures, looks, and moving your own body work too.

I rather not be passive aggressive.

[Anonymous]

This recently happened to me in New York while seeing Wicked. Kid was kicking my seat and my friend's seat next me. I turned around and said "please stop kicking my seat." Kid was around 7 or 8 so seemed too old to be doing this.

After intermission they started doing it again, so I turned around and look right at the parents and said: "If your kid doesn't stop kicking my seat I am getting the usher". And it finally stopped for good.

Tickets to these shows are expensive for everyone. I don't like being confrontational but sometimes it is necessary. I am not rude but I am direct. I would not have continued to engage with the other people if the parents wanted to start some kind of fight. Just get up, go get an usher. Yes you have to get up and possibly disturb others but at this point I don't care. The other person is to blame.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Perhaps the teen was special needs.

there are often specific performance times for these type of audience members who need accommodations like the ability to move around. Doesn't sound like this was one of them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Perhaps the teen was special needs.

That doesn't justify everything.

No but it EXPLAINS things

Who cares? No one is looking for an explanation for rude behavior. They just want the behavior to stop.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Perhaps the teen was special needs.

That doesn't justify everything.

No but it EXPLAINS things

Who cares? No one is looking for an explanation for rude behavior. They just want the behavior to stop.

+1. I would have more sympathy if the teen had been accompanied only by one adult. In that case, there could have been some communication before the show, initiated by the other adult. But the fact that there were two adults and they failed to sit on either side of the teen is simply inexcusable. Allowing a teen to sit with knees on either side of a seat, touching other patrons, is inexcusable. Allowing a teen to sit with feet on the back of two patrons’ seats is absolutely inexcusable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You were so passive-aggressive. Why not just say to her "Please get off my body." Say it as a statement or a directive, not a plea.

But OP got the kid off her body without making a huge scene. Why is being loud better?

I didn’t say I would say it loudly. There’s no reason why saying a five word sentence like the one I suggested should cause a “huge scene “.

Why use words at all? People will hear you. it will he a distraction. If i had to use words i might have just said “no” and removed the leg from my personal space. But OP bumped the leg off. Words aren’t always needed or better. Gestures, looks, and moving your own body work too.

I rather not be passive aggressive.

So would other people but being confrontational and aggressive in a venue like this is inappropriate. There are other ways to get the desired outcome. Guaranteed people behaving badly will also react badly to a perceived threat. Everyone around you would hope all of you get thrown out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So there's no rude kids anymore, just kids with mental problems?

Both exist. But you knew that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Perhaps the teen was special needs.

there are often specific performance times for these type of audience members who need accommodations like the ability to move around. Doesn't sound like this was one of them.

How do you know?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So there's no rude kids anymore, just kids with mental problems?

Both exist. But you knew that.

Not really. Because the minute you complain about a kid someone always says "special needs". See, this thread for proof. PP is right, that will be the knee jerk response to any complaint about a badly behaving kid. Do you think the child OP posted about is just rude?