Booster seats for Kennedy Center?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Respectfully, I didn't imply anything. People jumped to conclusions all by themselves and I didn't bother to correct them. Someone posted that they sure hoped I was going to a matinee. I asked on what basis that should make any difference? Because in my mind, it shouldn't make any difference. Either the kids are well-behaved or they aren't. Evening patrons have no more rights to an uninterrupted performance than the daytime ones. The ticket costs are the same.

It does make a difference. Evening performances are not for children. If I were to sit next to a child in the evening, I would be annoyed because I'm having a night away from my kids and I don't want to be around children (even if they were well behaved).

I'm done with this post. Bring your booster seats to your matinee. Thanks for the time waster.

NP here. The rule that evening performances are not for kids exists only in your head. The world does not revolve around your expectations for a perfect date night/adult evening out.

[Anonymous]

Glad you are dine with your post. If you don't want to sit next to well-behaved children, buy up the adjacent seats.

[Anonymous]

OP sounds nasty. I hope she gets everything she has coming to her.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I will PP. But I have to admit I'm having fun now.

It's almost like I asked if it would be OK if I brought my baby on a first-class Trans-Atlantic flight and changed his diaper on my neighbor's tray table...

I brought my baby on a transatlantic flight in first class. I got tons of dirty looks but...meh.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I will PP. But I have to admit I'm having fun now.

It's almost like I asked if it would be OK if I brought my baby on a first-class Trans-Atlantic flight and changed his diaper on my neighbor's tray table...

I brought my baby on a transatlantic flight in first class. I got tons of dirty looks but...meh.

I would have given you a glass of water and asked you to drown your child. Unless you want to pay for my 1st class airline ticket or $250.00 theatre ticket, keep your kid quiet and still.

[Anonymous]

I don't understand the big deal. If her kids are misbehaved, they will be asked to leave. If they are well behaved, then good for them.

It is not as though adults don't move, make noise and sit perfectly still for the whole performance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OMG PP, you took your KIDS to see MARY POPPINS??!!! AT THE KENNEDY CENTER OPERA HOUSE???? WHERE ADULTS PAID MONEY TO HAVE TICKETS??? WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU???

I'm calling CPS.

Have you *read* wicked? There is some pretty scary shit in the book. The beginning, when she is a baby? SCARY.

I wouldn't take a child to see this, it's not happy and roses like The Wizard of Oz. It's dark and frightening.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I will PP. But I have to admit I'm having fun now.

It's almost like I asked if it would be OK if I brought my baby on a first-class Trans-Atlantic flight and changed his diaper on my neighbor's tray table...

I brought my baby on a transatlantic flight in first class. I got tons of dirty looks but...meh.

I would have given you a glass of water and asked you to drown your child. Unless you want to pay for my 1st class airline ticket or $250.00 theatre ticket, keep your kid quiet and still.

Not the PP, but what a truly horrible thing to write, even for DCUM. And no one owes you anything; $$$ entitles you to transport from point A to point B, not peace and quiet. The PP's $ is worth just as much as yours.

[Anonymous]

I saw my first Broadway show at the age of 4. It was Annie and I loved it. I also saw Joseph & The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Cats, The Tap Dance Kid, and others at a young age, and I have very fond memories of those. (and I'm still a huge lover of musical theater.).

The thing is, though, Wicked is NOT Annie or Joseph or the Tap Dance Kid. It's not at all a kids' show. I think it's a bad choice for a 5 and 6 year old. Try Lion King, OP, it's fabulous!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OMG PP, you took your KIDS to see MARY POPPINS??!!! AT THE KENNEDY CENTER OPERA HOUSE???? WHERE ADULTS PAID MONEY TO HAVE TICKETS??? WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU???

I'm calling CPS.

Have you *read* wicked? There is some pretty scary shit in the book. The beginning, when she is a baby? SCARY.

I wouldn't take a child to see this, it's not happy and roses like The Wizard of Oz. It's dark and frightening.

Now, if you had actually done your research, you would know that the musical version of Wicked is quite a bit different from the book. The musical version is pretty much like the Wizard of Oz in terms of the amount of scariness in it.

[Anonymous]

I find it funny that the people who are accusing me of being so entitled and self-absorbed somehow think that they should not have to even see a child when they go out on a date night.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP,

I will never understand the American aversion for seeing children in anything other than child-centered settings.
I congratulate you for having musical children interested in such productions!
Take them, with squeaky clean boosters, to your show.
Hopefully their good behavior will persuade the surrounding adults that children can also have taste and discipline.

Signed,
Mother of a opera-loving 5 year old.
(specifically Carmen - you really don't get less child-appropriate than that but he loves the music!)

Thank you. I love Carmen.

I recognize this isn't every child's cup of tea. But as to the posters who suggest I wait until the kids are older... why should I? I know you don't believe me when I say they're interested... that's fine. Just assume for sake of argument that they are. I may take them AGAIN if they like it and it comes back in 3 years. For me, I don't particularly care if they understand the story fully, or if they remember it when they're older. I am having a fun night out with my family and kids, and we're all sharing something we love: musical theatre. Why do they have to remember it or even fully appreciate it? Why isn't it enough just to enjoy the music and the costumes and "kinda" get the story? YOU may not spend $90 to have your kid go. But it's worth it to me and to my kids. We don't have a lot of other expensive hobbies or activities... so doing a big night out every once in a while is fun and worth the money for us. And we're not disturbing any rational people. Really. Now those of you who feel your blood pressure rising at the mere sight of my kids... well... I'm not going to worry about you too much. Hopefully you'll get over it and have a nice night out.

[Anonymous]

I lived in Europe (Germany, specifically), and I never saw 5 year olds at the opera or the symphony. Like the NSO, the Berlin Philharmonic had the "Kinderconzert," where there would be tons of children, but the opera and symphony were reserved for families with older children (preteen and above).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP,

I will never understand the American aversion for seeing children in anything other than child-centered settings.
I congratulate you for having musical children interested in such productions!
Take them, with squeaky clean boosters, to your show.
Hopefully their good behavior will persuade the surrounding adults that children can also have taste and discipline.

Signed,
Mother of a opera-loving 5 year old.
(specifically Carmen - you really don't get less child-appropriate than that but he loves the music!)

Thank you. I love Carmen.

I recognize this isn't every child's cup of tea. But as to the posters who suggest I wait until the kids are older... why should I? I know you don't believe me when I say they're interested... that's fine. Just assume for sake of argument that they are. I may take them AGAIN if they like it and it comes back in 3 years. For me, I don't particularly care if they understand the story fully, or if they remember it when they're older. I am having a fun night out with my family and kids, and we're all sharing something we love: musical theatre. Why do they have to remember it or even fully appreciate it? Why isn't it enough just to enjoy the music and the costumes and "kinda" get the story? YOU may not spend $90 to have your kid go. But it's worth it to me and to my kids. We don't have a lot of other expensive hobbies or activities... so doing a big night out every once in a while is fun and worth the money for us. And we're not disturbing any rational people. Really. Now those of you who feel your blood pressure rising at the mere sight of my kids... well... I'm not going to worry about you too much. Hopefully you'll get over it and have a nice night out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, why are you going out on Saturday night with your children and not your husband? Do you let your kids stay up until 10:30 or 11 routinely?

Who said anything about Saturday?
Who said I was going to an evening performance?
Who said my husband wasn't going too?

But I see your (childish and transparent) point -- I am such an awful person, that I am actually a sad divorcee who has no friends (and no husband) and so instead I drag my children to late night adult entertainment because no one else will go with me...

Just to clarify, I happen to be taking them to a matinee... WITH my husband and a couple of other family members. Not that that really has anything to do with this discussion. I've taken them to evening performances in the past, and, again, they've done just fine.

Then you're a bald faced liar. You posted that the performance started at 7:30 pm.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand the big deal. If her kids are misbehaved, they will be asked to leave. If they are well behaved, then good for them.

It is not as though adults don't move, make noise and sit perfectly still for the whole performance.

I SIT AS STILL AS A ROBOT THROUGHOUT ALL PERFORMANCES AND I WEAR A DIAPER SO THAT I WILL NOT HAVE TO GET UP EVEN IF I HAVE DIARRHEA.

DO NOT BRING YOUNG CHILDREN TO EVENING PERFORMANCES AT ADULT VENUES. THE MERE SIGHT OF SMALL CHILDREN WILL DISTURB ME AS I WILL BE REMINDED OF HOW MUCH I AM OVER PAYING MY BABYSITTER TO SURF ON MY LAPTOP AND RAID MY REFRIGERATOR WHILE MY KIDS ARE RUNNING WILD THROUGH MY HOUSE IN A SUGAR FRENZY.