In the wake of the Colorado ‘Dark Knight’ tragedy, parenting expert Audrey Griffin weighs in on bringing little ones out to the theatre
Would you take your infant to the movies?
A few catastrophic events in the public eye recently have reminded us all that life is never guaranteed. From Tameka Raymond’s son Kile Glover, who died just a few weeks after was struck by a water vehicle while riding an inner tube, to the victims as young as 3-months-old injured in the horrific Dark Knight shooting in Colorado…it seems that the fragility of young life is more apparent than ever. Anything can happen as we’re going along with your everyday plans with the ones you love and we never know what life has in store.
Amongst all the questions over the who/what/why behind the Colorado tragedy: why was a 3-month-old baby at the movie theater in the first place? Well, as a mother of four, I must say that it is not uncommon to take a young baby to the movies. New parents have limited options with public places; if you have a chance to catch a bit of serenity via a film and can break the routine of late night feedings by changing the scenery to a dark theatre, why not? The theatre can often provide the sleep environment for an infant to be undisturbed and entertainment for the parent at the same time, becoming a win, win scenario.
I am willing to go out on a limb and say that the majority of the people who criticized/judged this child’s mom came from a place where they have never endured the sporadic schedule of a new baby. In other words, they don’t have kids. Going to the movies is probably one of the few outings you can do with a new baby. It’s not like this lady was at a bar, nursing while downing her 5th martini. As far as the time, yes, it was midnight…but if your baby is taking his/her 2-3 hour rest, and you live in a pretty safe area, again I say, ‘why not?’ People shouldn’t be so quick to judge her. (Click here to continue reading at Ebony.com)
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