Parental Control

This week I went to the elementary concert at my alma mater. It was being held in the new activity center, which is really just a gym, rather then at a local church as it has been in the past, which was a not an ideal location. First the acoustics of the gym made everything sound awful because it is so echo-y in there. Second, there aren’t seats in the gym, only bleachers, which are not made to be sat on comfortably for long periods of time, not to mention you are way too close to the people you are sitting near. Third, there were a ton of little children there. Now don’t get me wrong, I love children, but some of these kids were awful. For instance the three-year old sitting directly behind me was talking the entire time. Even worse then that, his parents were not doing anything to stop him. He was going on and on about everything under the sun, and his parents were ignoring him as if this was perfectly acceptable behavior at a concert. He’s only three and I don’t expect perfection, but the incessant talking without being told more then twice to stop was a bit ridiculous. Then there were the kids who thought, “I’m in a gym, I must run around.” There were kids running back and forth in front of the band and chorus, behind the band and chorus, and one brave little fellow who ran right up to someone in the chorus, who I am assuming to be his sister, right in the middle of a song. I do not blame the children for this behavior. It is the parents that should be able to control their children. I was sitting with two four -year-olds that were perfectly behaved the entire hour and a half performance. They were quiet and, to the best of their ability in those uncomfortable seats, sitting still. I was amazed at these two young girls’ ability to act appropriately. This I can only attribute to great parenting. I am very impressed. I would like to complement their parents on an excellent job well done and can only hope that I can do as good as they have done when I have children.