What Do You Think About Infants at Movies?

We live in an increasingly inconsiderate society. People are almost completely unaware of other human beings are sharing the air. Rarely, do I have a young person hold the door for me. When they call me sir, I know they mean respect but to me, it just sounds insulting. Trying to have a conversation with them is fun. I like to time how long it takes before they bury their face in their phone, blocking out reality. I would hate to think of all the conversations and connections I would have missed waiting at places had I done that.

Now, they are teaching their kids to be just as rude, if not more rude. Yesterday, I was trying watch Captain America: The Winter Soldier at my favorite movie theater. As soon as I walked in, I saw the stroller and thought it was going to be a long movie. I was not wrong. The movie was great, what I could hear. The kid screamed through at least 20 minutes of the movie. When the kid would scream, if the dad wasn't texting, he would attempt to quiet the poor, bored child. Dad thought it would be a good idea to have the little one play a game from his phone, shooting beams of light all through the theater. It made it kind of tough to suspend reality. As the movie was hitting the most dramatic points, the child got louder drowning out most of the dialog. Then after the initial credits, the first bonus clip came up and the kid walked into my row, right up next to me and stared right at me. I was so shocked. What I should have said was "Go back and sit down next to your inconsiderate father." I didn't want to be rude to the kid that had been rude to me for the last 2 plus hours. It's wasn't the kids fault the dad was an inconsiderate tool.

I like kids, I don't have any so my kid tolerance isn't very high. Captain America is no place for a kid in a stroller. The dad missed half the damn movie and ruined it for the rest of us in the theater. I didn't want to tell the dad what kind of person I thought he was because it wouldn't have done any good. I always feel like my patience is being tested. In traffic, with children, always behind someone who is inconsiderate of others. I feel like Michael Douglas in Falling Down sometimes. Holding on to the values of a long forgotten society.

What do you think? If you are going to a kids movie, you have to expect a theater full of kids. If you are going to a super hero movie, you don't expect to see a stroller. What would you have done in this situation? Grin and bear it or lose your mind? Going to see The Amazing Spider-Man 2 at the same theater today... Wish me luck.

Get up with Deb and Joey 6-10 am weekdays. Email Joey: joey.pants@townsquaremedia.com