Let's All Go to the Movies...Well, Some of Us Should Stay Home.

Today I have a public service announcement. It is something that has bothered me for years. Last night, Brian talked me into going to the movies for the first time in over two years. "The movie has been out for a while. It's a Sunday night. It'll be okay." was how he talked me into it. See, I gave up going to the movie theater years ago. Why? Because I absolutely cannot stand how rude people are. How as a society, people can no longer just sit still and focus on one thing for less than two hours. Movies are expensive. When I go it;s because I am truly interested in the film and that is where I am choosing to spend my hard earned dollars. It absolutely drives me crazy that people cannot refrain from texting, talking, updating their Facebook status, or checking their emails for a brief period. Trust me. No one is more "plugged in" than I am. I have to be for work. But in a dark theater I realize how rude and distracting it is to the people around me to shine a bright glowing screen in the dark. I think there are a few things that would make everyone's experience better. We've taught these to Davis from the time she could mumble her first word. We are the people that pulled her out of the Winnie the Pooh movie at three because she couldn't sit still. It's not acceptable to distract others by not staying in your seat. She learned fast.

1. Turn your phone off. I mean off. Not on silent, not on vibrate. Off. If you can't be without your phone for two hours or your Facebook status is so important that it can't wait until the movie is over then stay home. Don't make it miserable for everyone around you by shining that screen in a dark theater. We are way too conditioned to think that we need our phones 24/7. How did we ever survive before the Smart Phone? I remember the first time we left Davis with my mom when she was just a couple months old. Brian had gotten us tickets to see "Show Boat" at the OCPAC. I was nervous. What if something happened in those few hours? See, it was before cell phones. And you know what we did? We used a pay phone (gasp) at intermission to check in. If you have to check in with someone take your phone outside. If there is some emergency people will find a way to get a hold of you. You will be okay without social media for two hours. I promise.

2. Be quiet. I don't understand when we stopped having the ability to sit quietly for two hours. I appreciate the two hour distraction of immersing myself in a fictional story. I don't need to give Brian the play by play of what is happening on the screen or my comments on the characters. If you want to do that, rent a movie at home and talk all you want. It amazes me how many people just can't focus for two hours. I always tell Davis sitting quietly and really listening is an important skill to hone when you are young. You are going to be in a lot of situations where you are sitting through a long lecture or meeting with a teacher or boss and you are going to be bored out of your mind. To learn to really listen and be still, while preventing distractions is going to help you later on. That's why when we go to church, she sits. She listens. She doesn't get to play on her phone, or draw, or write notes. Focus. If you can't keep from distracting others around you. Stay home.

3. Is it appropriate? Let's see. There was a 5 and 8 year old when we saw "Summer of Sam" a movie about the Son of Sam killing spree in NYC, several young children in "Texas Chainsaw Massacre", a baby (in a stroller) and a 8 and 10 year old at the midnight showing of the "Halloween" remake. I can only imagine the nightmares these kids had after watching these shows. Just because as a parent you want to see a movie, don't drag your kids along to see something that isn't appropriate. It's not about you. It's about your kids. Don't be selfish. Wait until it comes out on video or get a babysitter. It also saves the rest of us having to listen to your kids play in the aisles or watch you push the stroller up and down in front of the front row during the movie. Movies aren't for infants. They don't know how to be quiet. Be courteous of the people around you. Stay home or get a babysitter. It's simple. There were a lot of places I wanted to go when Davis was a baby. I didn't just drag her along if it wasn't good for her because I wanted to go. I stayed home. It's really simple when you stop for a minute and think about someone other than yourself.

I think the thing that bugs me the most is that as a society we have gotten "ruder." We have lost our manners. We think more about ourselves then the people around us. Would our grandparents generation have tolerated this? I think not. I think they would be appalled. The situation at the movie theater is just a microcosm of what goes on in society as a whole. Once you start thinking about others and how your actions affect them, we become a lot more polite. We become more helpful. More caring. There is a whole "me" generation out there. We need to combat it with showing empathy to the people around us, to care about other people's experiences, to be kind to others. And while we are doing it- leave the cell phone at home.

Getting down from my soapbox now-
Tricia