Allowing Kids to be Kids

A few years ago, my mom and I were at a performance (I’m not sure what, exactly), and there were some kids running up and down the aisles.  They were probably no older than 5 years old, laughing and playing around in-between shows.  Everybody around us was happily enjoying them, and there were no parents telling them to sit down or to “shh!”  My mom mentioned how when I was younger, she wishes that she would have let me do that.  To let kids be kids is one of the hardest struggles a parent might face in a public place.

On a visit to an appointment a couple weeks ago, there was a little boy walking around and playing quietly, not bothering the only 2 other people in the room.  His mother told him to sit down and stop making so much noise.  He did.  Then, he and his brother started telling jokes and messing around in their chairs.  She told them a little bit louder to sit down and be quiet.  Saying “shh” over and over again, is louder and more annoying than a kid laughing and playing around.  And many people agree with me on this when we’re out in places and it happens.  My daughter is still a baby, so I don’t know how I’ll react to her when she’s older in this type of situation, but I hope that I allow her to act her age and be silly as long as she’s not being rude.  They’re kids, they know silliness and happiness.  Stress, being rude, still, quiet, and stripped of their fun and innocence is worse to me than a 4 year old standing up and playing in her chair during previews at a theater.