Home Training.
We all want kids with some “home training”. Well behaved children are a reflection of the parents.
So parents are often forced to put their kids in situations where they need to behave knowing they probably aren’t ready yet…..just to try and teach them. Sometimes, you have to bear with us. We are in “Caution…Child Training Mode”.
On Friday evening, we usually go out to eat. It’s our Family Night. This past Friday, we went out for sushi. Surprisingly, Tali 2 did okay. He had some dumplings, a spring roll and some shrimp. He ate neatly. He didn’t throw any food. So far so good right?
The next day, the older Tali and I went to a birthday party. It was for older kids so my little man stayed home with Daddy. It was so hard to leave him. He thought he was going and came downstairs dressed in his pajamas and slippers but with his coat, hat and scarf on and holding his sneakers. When we left without him, I could hear him wailing as we drove off. “I wanna go wif mommy!” *sigh*
So of course, I felt terrible about leaving him. On Sunday, I decided to make it up to him and take both boys out to see the Dr. S.eu.ss movie. Now he has never been to a movie, so you can imagine how excited he was.
Well, it started off well enough but after ten minutes, he started asking LOUD QUESTIONS.
“Mommy, can you turn the channel? I want to see T.ele.tubbi.es and Di.e.go!”
“I want to sit with Tali 1.”
“I want to sit with YOU.”
“I want to sit by here by myself!”
So after 30 minutes of musical chairs, he finally settled into his own chair. Then the “kicking of the seat” in front of him commenced. After my best attempts to get him to stop failed…. He ended up getting popped on his leg. Of course, that started the “MOMMY, YOU HIT ME. You’re not supposed to hit your baby. You hurt my feelings.” comments. So as all of the parents turned around to look at me…..I tried to pick him up and escort him into the foyer so he wouldn’t disturb everyone else.
As soon as he realized he was leaving, he started crying louder.
“I don’t wanna go outside. I wanna stay with TALI 1! I wanna watch a movie and mommy won’t let meeeeeee.”
Needless to say, I spent much of the movie correcting him, making him sit quietly and trying to re-direct his energies away from throwing popcorn.
With ten minutes left, he finally grew interested in the movie and sat still and watched it. When the credits rolled…..he clapped his hands. *sigh*
Needless to say. Mommy needed some wine.
How are you supposed to teach them how to act in public if you don’t venture out in public with them? We have to try so they can learn. So next time you see a parent struggling with a toddler…..be nice, it might be me.
30 comments
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March 17, 2008 at 3:58 pm
Ms. Sula
I was dead @ “Mummy can you turn the channel?” Hi-la-rious!
Your kids are wonderful. Tali2 did good for his first “official” outing… The second one should be better…
Have a great week!
March 17, 2008 at 4:22 pm
checkmymelonie
So that was YOUR commotion?!
LOL…just playing! At least your kids wanted to watch. My nephew leaned over and asked me if he could color now. Not for $17 dollars, lol. I told him he better watch every MINUTE!
March 17, 2008 at 4:24 pm
erica b.
He’s a toddler! Girl, I remember those days! I had Brian on a leash! ROFL He was awful! Try bribery! ROFL
March 17, 2008 at 4:36 pm
onefromphilly
ROFL………The next time will be easier..I promise.
It’s really OK if they talk out loud at a kids movie. All the kids talk out loud, and don’t want to sit still, and want to throw popcorn..O Lawd, I’m glad my turn is over.
Try NOT to go by yourself, never let the kids outnumber the adults. LOL
March 17, 2008 at 4:46 pm
jameil
giiiiiiiiirl. i’ma try to be nice!
March 17, 2008 at 4:47 pm
Patrice
ROFL!! girl I know you didn’t find it funny, but ummm, I would have been dying laughing (keep in mind i’m childless). Im sure next time will be better!
March 17, 2008 at 4:52 pm
BK
BWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAAAAAAAAAA
WOW.. MEMORIES.. Erica B siad it.. BRIBERY.. it always worked for me.. you sit through the movie quietly then Mommy will give you *insert fav food or dessert* LOL for being a big boy!
LOL @ him coming downstairs in the jammies with his shoes.. LOL
Clapping at the end.. PRICELESS
March 17, 2008 at 4:59 pm
Pro
ROTFL. I was tickled by his little “dialect” too. Um, I feel your pain, mommy of the Tali’s! I must admit that I’ve never expereinced that with my own. Why am I so fortunate? Only because we started the movie grooming thing during the Summer FREE movie series throughtout AMC. One of the myriad of things I know about from my stint as an official Mocha Mom (stay home mom). When you are in a crowded theater with ONLY mommys and toddlers crying is part of the soundtrack. However, I do remember having random moms ask me to “Watch” their older kid when they had to take a crying toddler into the foyer so the other kids could hear the movie in peace. By the time me and my husband hankered to go see a movie when it first came out that wasn’t suited for children (as in rater R) we took our kids when they were asleep (don’t call the authorities on us we ain’t have no sitter and wanted to finally see something A-damn-dult!). They were quiet as church mice and sound asleep in our arms the entire movie. Came from all my grooming and training taking their asses to the movies where I was outnumber 3-to-1.
Try to have a movie night on a Friday night after y’all go out to eat. Turn off all the lights, make popcorn and have Tali stay up late and practice quiet voice, proper seating, etc. during the DVD. Just a thought. I got plenty of SAHM ‘to-dos’ in my arsenal (hell, I started/founded the first Chapter of Mocah Moms here in my city; had Washington Founder, Shelly, come here to meet and greet me and the group; featured in the paper and news, etc. I guess I am good for something. Sigh.)
I heart Tali’s CUTE self!
March 17, 2008 at 5:14 pm
MissB
Awwww…usually when I see parents with toddlers acting up I start saying…”Oooo No kiddies for me.” But I do understand that kids are alot to deal with…thank goodness I don’t have any right now…lol
Tali 2 so cute though…asking you to turn the channel…LOL
March 17, 2008 at 5:29 pm
nikkidst
Oh thanks for this!!! It reminds me of the time when my daughter was 3 and we were seeing Monster’s Inc for the 3rd time (both grandmothers insisted on being with her for her 1st movie…lol). By the 3rd viewing she knew the songs, what was coming next and yelling at the screen! Needless to say, we got many head turns and eye-rolls from the other patrons. This led to my (usually civilized) Mother getting upset and telling people that the movie “was for for the enjoyment of children and if they wanted peace they should wait until it comes out on video!”. It’s funny now, but I wanted to crawl out of the theater!
March 17, 2008 at 6:26 pm
Sissy
This post was a perfect reminder for impatient childless folks. I would have paid to hear little Tali 1 say “….mommy turn the channel…” ROFL. The Talis are adorable!
March 17, 2008 at 6:30 pm
Dee
Haha! See, this is why I always sit in the top row at the back of the theater. That way, Bebe has a little bit of room to act the fool without driving me or anyone else crazy.
March 17, 2008 at 6:39 pm
aunt jackie
being the oldest of four, I was the older sister trying to take unruly toddlers and kids out in public far too often. My baby brother went thru a cursing phase that made us wonder if we were going to have to lock him in the basement…He screamed so many obscenities at a woman in a grocery store that I just picked him up, leaving the food in the cart and took him home.
I feel for you sister, but I’ll never diss parents parenting…it’s how we all learned at one point or another!
March 17, 2008 at 7:37 pm
robyn
LOL…. or it might be ME you see with this 3 1/2 year ….. LOL
We just got back from visiting my in-laws in Atlanta this morning and I SWEAR the decibels go up as we get in places where they need to go DOWN! LOL On the airplane ( he was too young to remember being on one the last time he WAS on one), the questions were ENDLESS…. I had to say “quiet, airplane voices sweetie”… “stop trying to stick your hand between the seats” and “are you SURE you don’t have to go to the bathroom” at least elemteem-HUN’NED times!!! LOL
I soooooo am there with you!! And it is sooo funny that you mentioned one of my son’s FAVORITE saying “Mommy , you HURT. MY. FEEEEELINGS!!!!!”
LOL I am so glad to know it just isn’t me! And you are right. How are they gonna learn if they are never EXPOSED to the environment in which they are to learn that set of behaviors from??? Unlike Tali2, my little one has NE.VER made it ALL the way through a movie …and he’s been to three so far (The Incredibles, Happy Feet, Ratatouille)…. every-dang-TIME… he makes it until we (the parents) are REALLY all in and want to see the last 30 minutes and he acts like the ants that are in his pants are about to eat him ALIVE. We always miss the dang endings! **sigh**
So, I feel you!
March 17, 2008 at 10:00 pm
Tanyetta
“Mommy, can you turn the channel? I want to see T.ele.tubbi.es and Di.e.go!”
LOL!!!!
And thank you for posting this. I mean really how are we supposed to get this right without trial and error.
March 17, 2008 at 10:08 pm
Miz JJ
That’s a tough one. My niece was always mesmerized by anything on TV so she sat still, but I took her to a restaurant once and she threw a scene that makes me sweat just thinking about it. Let us know how it goes!
March 17, 2008 at 10:27 pm
Ms. Lee
LOL @ him wanting you to turn the channel! He’s too freakin cute!
I can’t see Lil Homie sitting through any of it. When his favorite shows come on he MUST go to the TV. I can only imagine him trying to get down to the screen. *shaking my head* No way!
PS. Second time should be better! Good luck!
March 17, 2008 at 11:11 pm
KaNisa
Hoo boy…
I don’t think my parents even took us to the movies until we were 4 or 5…
Public outings besides that were always accompanied by the family “belt” and my mother’s “Fear of God” look…
I think I hold the family record for getting the most beatings in my childhood out my sisters, LOL my mother said if she’d had me first, she would have only had one child!
I was like, thaaaannks…BUT, I was the most well behaved when it came to the teenage years!
March 17, 2008 at 11:50 pm
Odyssey
I feel you. I have a 3 year old and 18 month old and you know they are nuts in public…sometimes.
We fly a lot. The funny thing is the other passengers’ faces when they see us get on the plane. At the end of the flight, they always say “they were so good during the flight.” I’m thinking that’s because they have flown since they were very small babies. They know how to act on the airplanes. Anything else? Totally unpredictable.
March 18, 2008 at 1:25 am
Amadeo
I like to threaten kids and make them think I’m crazy…I guess that won’t work with my kids…I can’t keep up the crazy all the time. Then it will have to be duct tape. Do people report you for duct taping your kids in public.
March 18, 2008 at 2:44 am
Kayla
I was weak as heck @ “MOMMY, YOU HIT ME. You’re not supposed to hit your baby. You hurt my feelings.” TOO CUTE! Goodness, this reminded me of the early stages for my cousin’s daughter when we started taking her to the movies.. Flubber was her first Disney movie, and she kut up something terrible! LOL She didn’t want to sit down, she wanted to walk in the isle, she was talking and singing, and a bit cranky. My cousin was sooooo embarrassed! LOL
March 18, 2008 at 11:58 am
1969
Note to self….call Pro. LOL
Amadeo…no duct tape…you go to jail for that.
And to the rest of you….you guys made me crack up reading all of your responses. Thanks for sharing!
March 18, 2008 at 1:41 pm
SunnyJ
Just popped over from Creole in DC. I so feel your pain, but that was funny. I’ve spent quite a few movies in the foyer or in the lobby when the pain of sitting still got to be too much and my toddler got the “squirmies”. And how on earth do they manage to be louder that the speakers in the theater? Anyway gotta love’em!
By the way I really like your blog. I’ll be stopping by more often.
March 18, 2008 at 2:05 pm
1969
Sunny J…thanks for visiting. Come by anytime.
March 18, 2008 at 2:15 pm
bored-n-talkative
I’ve got all that to come. My daughter is 18 months old now. I haven’t taken her to the movies yet but she has been out to restaurants. She wasn’t too bad for a child her age. I can usually bribe her with milk or a snack, don’t know how long that will last though.
March 18, 2008 at 7:32 pm
Eb
Kids say the dardest things “mommy you hit me” lol… as if you didnt know… you did the right thing though taking him out… I have seen parents have a whole conversation interupt everything and then the child continues to act up and not take them out. I have also had the kid behind me kicking the seat and the parent did nothing.
March 19, 2008 at 12:48 am
tiredofbeingbroke
As a childless person I do not go to the kiddie movies for this very reason. It is all about the kids, and little kids will act up. They have to learn to adjust. You can’t get annoyed at a kiddie movie if a kids acts up. Unless, of course your kids is ‘perfect’. The kiddie movie is all about the kids, and kids will be kids.
LOL @ mommy change the channel, that is too cute. The more you take him out, the more he will get used to it.
What I do get annoyed at is at the R-rated movies when I spend my money and can’t enjoy it. Why, I don’t think kids should be at R-rate movies. My brother takes his kids, and it still annoys me that he does that.
March 19, 2008 at 8:24 pm
That Girl Tam
And this is exactly the reason why we didn’t take the kids to see this movie over the weekend. LL hasn’t been to the movies yet and I didn’t take ML to the movies til I was VERY pregnant with LL – and he was 4 by then. LL is 3 1/2 and I’m not sure if he’s ready…thanks for scaring the shit outta me…
I’ll pass…
LL will be hollerin, “I wanna go! This boring…I want my toys…I have to pee…ML not sharing the poccorn. Hey…where MY sola? But I want sola tooooooo….”
Umm…no…maybe next year.
March 23, 2008 at 4:43 pm
NinaMM
Bwwwwwwwwwhaaaaaaaaaaahaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!! @ “Mommy you hit me! You’re not supposed to hit your baby!”
Well, with no kids and only my own tyrannical mother as a reference, I’on see how you could have handled it ANY better than that. It was his first time, so hopefully, after daily lectures, and a stern talking to RIGHT BEFORE the next movie, he’ll sit still or elect to stay home with daddy.
I’m imagining the look on your face though!
March 26, 2008 at 9:55 pm
Amy
Did you steal my kid that day? I swear I could have written that post. “MOMMY, YOU HIT ME. You’re not supposed to hit your baby. You hurt my feelings.”How’d these little boogers get so smart? I got mentally and physically exhausted reading/reliving that. Love these little guys to pieces but boy can they wear a mommy out! (Not to mention making us want to crawl under a rock or hide in the nearest clothes rack at times)
John and I tried to figure out how we had spent a whole week on vacation (Disney World) but couldn’t seem to remember much of it at all within days of arriving back home. Finally figured that it had something to do with spending the ENTIRE time with scenarios like you described. Jaxon enjoyed the vacation immensely – Us? We barely remember having been there since we spent the whole time trying to keep him from running off, climbing on stuff, demanding merchandise (why does every ride seem to require exiting through a gift shop full of toys?), walking out of stores with merchandise, throwing fits over food, having to go to the bathroom half way through a wait in line, etc….