What are they thinking?!?!?!

Last night we went out for dinner and a movie for the first time since Konrad was born. Whoo hoo! We've gone out for dinner before, but always taken Konrad with us (so we haven't been to a movie theater). But since he outgrew the infant carrier, there's not really any pleasant way we can take him with us, and he goes to sleep with the other kids at 7 pm, so it worked out really well (except when he woke up with teething pain at 9 pm...but that's what cell phones are for!)

Tom chose the movie Iron Man to see, and I was pleasantly surprised that it was a fun movie without gruesome gore (I guess Marvel movies generally aren't gruesome). But it was quite intense, loud and violent...and there were small children in the audience! I was aware of siblings about 6-8 years old playing behind us (a little irritating) but at least if they were playing, they likely weren't watching the movie.

Then as we left the theater, a couple walked out in front of us with a THREE-YEAR OLD in tow! I cannot imagine bringing any child of mine to such an intense movie before they're 10 or 12 or even older. As Corinne, who watched the kids, will tell you, Lukas gets freaked out from Tom and Jerry cartoon violence.

What are these parents thinking, keeping school-aged children up until 10 pm or later to go to a movie theater with an intense movie like that? What are they thinking by subjecting their 3-year old to the violence and noise of a movie like that?

If you can't find/pay for a sitter, wait for it to come out on video...that's what we do!