You can usually count on the people sitting around you in a movie theater to be quiet.
However, when it comes to children’s movies complete silence is a lot to ask when the theater is full of excited little people.
Children get excited, they have no inhibitions at a young age and like to express themselves at every opportunity. It’s often the case that other parents are sympathetic and just relieved that it’s not their child making noise.
But one movie goer decided to shame a mom and cause distress to her son when the 5-year-old started making noise during a screening of Disney movie Dumbo.
Five-year-old boy Noah is autistic and despite his mom explaining this to the complaining woman and apologizing, she continued to shame her.
Autism affects an estimated 1 in 59 children in the U.S. and poses challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors and communication for those sufferers.
Mom Vicky Page had taken Noah and her two other children to a movie theater in Kent, England, to see Dumbo.
After 30 minutes of watching the film, Vicky said she felt compelled to leave when another movie goer complained about the noise Noah was making.
She noticed the woman staring when Noah got excited, particularly the parts when Dumbo was flying.
“I ended up apologising…I said ‘I’m really sorry, he has autism,'” Vicky said, according to The Mirror newspaper.
“She said ‘I don’t particularly care’ and that I should keep him at home if he can’t sit still.”
Vicky left the movie theater with her children but Noah was so upset at being taken away from the movie he had a meltdown.
“It was very upsetting and I ended up getting quite emotional. I get this sort of thing a lot – it was not an isolated incident,” she added.
“I do wish people could be more compassionate, and not be so cruel and unfeeling.”
Vicky even admitted that she tried to avoid big stores when she was out with Noah.
It’s so awful to think this mom is having to hide her son from public because of a lack of understanding and compassion toward autism.
April is autism month so please share to raise awareness and encourage people to be patient and understanding with those children who have it.
