Yes, I brought my 1 year old. Is that a problem?
Yes, I take my child pretty much everywhere, movie theaters, restaurants, airplanes… yes, she’s 18 months old, no, I don’t see a problem with it.
There is nothing like the look of horror that crosses peoples’ faces when you enter an airplane with a toddler. I agree there is not much worse than a toddler on an airplane who won’t stop crying. But, now I am a parent and I won’t stop living my life because I have a child. Don’t get me wrong. I am not one of those parents who seem to just “not notice” my child acting like a wild animal in public places.
I do not allow my daughter to be disruptive. If we are at a restaurant or movie theater, for example, if she becomes disruptive I quickly remove her so as not to disturb the other patrons. However, I do not believe in keeping my child away from places with a lot of people until she’s older. The way I see it is how will she know how to behave in different environments if she’s never exposed to them?
A lot of people think I am a little crazy to take my daughter to the movie theater at 18 months, but, she’s been going since she was 4 months old. A huge dark room with a movie screen isn’t new to her. She knows that she must stay quiet and watch the show. She doesn’t freak out because it’s nothing new to her. I remember when I was pregnant with her and having lunch at this restaurant. A mother walked in with her twin toddler boys. She and her sons had one of the most civilized lunches I have ever seen. There was no screaming, no fuss, just a mom and her sons having a lovely lunch together. I thought it was amazing and complimented her on her sons’ wonderful behavior. I asked her what she did to make them behave so well. She said she takes them everywhere and so that’s what I do now. The same thing happens to me. No matter where we go my daughter always receives constant compliments on how well-behaved she is. And, that makes this mommy very proud!
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Perhaps it’s just the child. When I first had my son, I took him absolutely everywhere. But as he got older, things changed. He suddenly hated my favorite sushi restaurant, and trying on jeans at the department stores became a hassle. Maybe you’re just one of the lucky parents whose child will let you have a moment of peace. My son is two now and I have to pick and choose when I bring him with me. I’d love to bring him everywhere, but it’s not worth it to me because he’ll simply act up.