Kids at the Movies

Husband and I were very fortunate to have the opportunity to go on a date the other night for our eight year anniversary.  I know, right?  We''re getting old.  Eight years is a long time!

We went on our first evening date alone since Baby was born.  I know, that's practically eighteen months!  It's a long time.  We could have hired a sitter and gone out previously, but those people are expensive.  The going rate that we've found is ten dollars an hour.  Hello, that's more than minimum wage!  We already pay for daycare (yes, even through summer to hold our spot), so we can't really justify spending more on a sitter at night.  However, this was a special occasion, so we splurged.

We were going to do dinner and a move, but then we were running late (surprise!), so it ended up being a movie and then dinner.  We went to a rated R movie that had lots of cursing and adult themes.  Quite funny, but definitely an adult movie.

Well, we got into the theater and heard a baby way in the back of the theater.  Okay, a baby.  I know some people take their little ones when they want to go out.  I never did that because Baby has never sat still in her entire life and I don't want to put anyone through that.  People don't want to hear a baby cry during a movie and I don't want to be the person who forces that on other paying movie goers.  Luckily, the baby only cried right before the movie, then we didn't hear another peep.  That was nice.  I would have gone and complained.  I mean, I was on my first date in eighteen months without a child.  No way do I want to hear one during my child free night.

At the end of the movie, the people in the back started to walk out of the theater.  There was the couple with the newborn and....their seven year old daughter (I'm guessing her age here, but she was looked around seven or eight).

Okay, I understand bringing the newborn.  You want to get out, the baby doesn't understand the movie and will most likely fall asleep.  Whatever.  But your child who understands what is going on?  Who is able to repeat things out of the movie?  Who looks up to her parents and wants to copy what they do?  Who understands when people are naked?  Who is learning how to treat others and behave in society?

No way.  It just made me so mad to see that little girl at that movie.  What do her parents tell her?  Do they tell her anything?  Is she just left to process what she saw and heard as acceptable and normal in her life? 

Does anyone else see anything wrong with this picture?