C
Cat
Guest
My older daughter was quite lively and talkative, but she loved going to the theater, especially opera and ballet, from the time she was two. She always behaved herself and discussed the show afterwards with me–this was hilarious for people sitting next to us in the lobby, to see a small child discussing the meaning of the ballet or the play! Today at 23 she is the production-stage manager for a professional ballet company!
Parents need to know their children! Some kids are mesmerized by a symphony, a basketball game, a planetarium show, an auction, etc. Others are in pain! We need to help them get used to these events gradually, not whiz bang jump right in and attend the whole thing and you’d better behave or else!
I believe that one thing that contributes to childhood unruliness is television. Pediatricians are now recommended NO TV for children under two. Good recommendation!
A lot of children’s shows feature bites of lively activity or music, not a sustained plot or melodic music. No wonder kids can’t sit still for more than 30 seconds.
I suggest acclimatizing a child to adult venues gradually: one minute in the adult venue, then leave, next time increase it to two minutes, etc., with lots of praise for good behavior. This method works pretty well.
Last year I attended a Nutcracker, and a child next to us, about 8 years old, kept humming through all the pieces. Obviously a child well-educated in Nutcracker, but very annoying. Finally the young man that was sitting with me (my daughter’s boyfriend, a sound engineer) bent over and whispered very sweetly, “Honey, the orchestra doesn’t need your help to play the songs.”
It was hilarious! The mother got the idea and hushed her child from then on.
Parents need to know their children! Some kids are mesmerized by a symphony, a basketball game, a planetarium show, an auction, etc. Others are in pain! We need to help them get used to these events gradually, not whiz bang jump right in and attend the whole thing and you’d better behave or else!
I believe that one thing that contributes to childhood unruliness is television. Pediatricians are now recommended NO TV for children under two. Good recommendation!
A lot of children’s shows feature bites of lively activity or music, not a sustained plot or melodic music. No wonder kids can’t sit still for more than 30 seconds.
I suggest acclimatizing a child to adult venues gradually: one minute in the adult venue, then leave, next time increase it to two minutes, etc., with lots of praise for good behavior. This method works pretty well.
Last year I attended a Nutcracker, and a child next to us, about 8 years old, kept humming through all the pieces. Obviously a child well-educated in Nutcracker, but very annoying. Finally the young man that was sitting with me (my daughter’s boyfriend, a sound engineer) bent over and whispered very sweetly, “Honey, the orchestra doesn’t need your help to play the songs.”
It was hilarious! The mother got the idea and hushed her child from then on.
Can you imagine what happened in that office to make them put that up? Sounds like they may have come out of the ordeal with post traumatic stress disorder!